


I Just Want You to Know Who I Am

by elle_delajoie



Category: Glee
Genre: F/F, Kleak up, M/M, S3+ Fix-it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:28:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 28,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24142090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elle_delajoie/pseuds/elle_delajoie
Summary: Kurt’s rendezvous with his Secret Admirer at Breadstix before Sugar’s Valentine’s Day party goes a little differently and sets off a chain of events that alters the course of Kurt's life.Complete.
Relationships: Eventual Kurt Hummel/David Karofsky, Kurt Hummel & David Karofsky
Comments: 60
Kudos: 180





	1. Secrets and Admirers

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SamaraKurtofsky](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SamaraKurtofsky/gifts).



Kurt entered Breadstix, festively dressed in a red jacquard suit jacket, with a black vest and tie.

The hostess greeted him quickly. “Private party here tonight, hon.”

“I know. I’m early, according to this.” He held up the red cardstock heart in his hand. “I’m supposed to be meeting my cutie here for our long-awaited reunion, but it looks like he’s not going to make it after all.”

She smiled at him. “Wouldn’t be too sure about that,” she said, as she looked up from wiping down a table and glanced towards the door.

Kurt turned and looked in the same direction and saw the Gorilla Gram deliverer coming in behind him. He took a few steps back and faced him. “I knew you wouldn’t miss our first official Valentine’s Day together.” Kurt reached for the box of chocolates he was being offered. “See’s Chocolates. And there’s a note.” He opened it and read it aloud, but barely above a whisper. “Dear Kurt, Happy Valentine’s Day! I love you.” He paused and looked up.

The person in the costume took off the headpiece, revealing his identity – David Karofsky. He smiled shyly and sweetly.

Kurt was stunned.

Dave heard, “Karofsky?” in unison from both Kurt and someone seated at a table behind him.

Kurt spoke as quietly as possible. “Follow my lead. Just carry the head and turn around and wave, as I follow you out.”

Karofsky waved, “Hey, Nick. Cassandra.”

Kurt was loud and bossy. “Hurry it up, Karofsky. I’m not paying you if you’re late to deliver my gifts. This isn’t social hour. Move it!”

They made it out to Dave’s truck before either of them said anything else.

“Meet me at the garage,” Kurt said. He walked straight to his Navigator and drove to the tire shop. He parked with the light that illuminated the parking area so that it was two spaces to the left of his Navigator.

Dave pulled up next to him on the right, using Kurt’s Navigator and the darkness to conceal his truck from the road as much as possible. Kurt moved to the back. Dave slipped the rest of the suit off and switched to his coat before he got in on the passenger side in the back.

“You’ll need a good reason why you needed money badly enough to dress up like a gorilla and be ordered around by the likes of me when you get to school tomorrow morning. Nick seems the type to cause trouble.”

“Yeah, he’s a jerk for the most part. I’ll tell him my PS3 controller broke and my parents told me to get a job to pay for a new one.”

“Whatever works.” He switched gears. “So, you’ve been sending the Secret Admirer gifts?”

The same sweet, shy smile appeared on Dave’s face. “Um, yeah.”

“I’m confused. You tormented me, slammed me into lockers, called me horrible names, hate-kissed me, and now after one conversation in a bar, you’re saying you want us to be together?”

“I talked to this counselor at school. And she helped me see that when I was at McKinley, I hated who I was. I took that out on you because there you were, so proud.”

“Okay, but you do you get from that to sending me a week’s worth of amazingly sweet gifts, sometimes dressed as a gorilla?”

“Baby steps, right? I’ve wanted to call you since that night at Scandals. It’s taken me a while but,” he reached out and put his hand on Kurt’s. “For the first time in my life, I’m trying to be honest about what a feel.”

“And I’m flattered – I am. But you don’t love me. You may think you do, but I don’t see how it’s possible.”

“You’ve helped me so much, Kurt. You have no idea. I haven’t come out at school, but maybe next fall when I start college. Like I said that night, I’m just trying to get though senior year.”

“Well, meeting fabulously-gay me in a public place like Breadstix on Valentine’s Day and taking the gorilla head off probably isn’t the best way to stay under the radar, but neither is hanging out at the gay bar in town. Anyone could walk in there and see you. Look, I know how hard this must be for you, and I’m really glad to see how far you’ve come. And I really do want you to be happy, and I think you will be. But I’m with Blaine. I do like you, but just as a friend.”

Dave was fighting tears. “You said I hate-kissed you. That’s so not true. I kissed you because I’ve been in love with you since we were 12. I hated myself for loving you. And then I hated myself for hurting you. But at no point in time have I ever hated you. You are the most amazing guy I’ve ever met. And you’re allowed your opinion, but I know how I feel and I know that I love you. What happened to you? Did I do this to you?”

“Do what?”

“Make you feel so low that you stay with a guy who cheats on you? Why are you with Blaine?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Why didn’t Blaine go to school today?”

“He’s recovering from eye surgery.”

“Bullshit. Sorry. Where was he Friday night?”

“At home, in bed I assume.”

“Wrong again.”

“What on earth are you talking about?”

Dave had lost the battle against the tears that were now streaking his cheeks. “This was Friday.” He showed Kurt a photo of a guy who looked about 20 and Blaine dancing at a club that wasn’t Scandals. “After you came into Scandals that night, I decided that it wasn’t a good place to hang out, like you mentioned a few minutes ago. If you could show up, anyone from McKinley or Thurston could as well. I moved to a different place outside of Columbus. I told my parents I was hanging out at Azimio’s. They never bothered to check. Plus, he’s always had my back. He’d tell them I was with him if they asked. I’d go hang out and then sleep in my truck. I can lick the small camper shell from the inside and I’ve got a cold weather sleeping bag, like for camping in the snow. That’s where I’ve seen them together several weekends. Now, to be honest, I’ve never seen them do anything besides dance together, but I figured Blaine might not be into PDA. I asked around discretely. The guy’s name is Eli.”

“So, you’ve seen the two of them out clubbing together for the last, what? Couple of months?”

“Yeah.” He had managed to quell the tears. “When I came at lunch yesterday and he wasn’t at school, I decided to see what he was doing. I skipped school today to find out. I followed him to Columbus.”

“He went to Columbus today?”

“Yeah. I kept my distance so he wouldn’t notice me. He pulled up to a house at lunchtime at waited for a few minutes, and out came a tall dude I’ve not seen before.” He swiped through a few photos and turned his phone back around. “I followed them to La Dolce Vita, which looked like a swanky Italian place. They got out and went in. I drove back to Lima.”

Kurt took the phone out of Dave’s hand and just stared at it. He closed his eyes and willed himself not to cry, but he was unsuccessful.

“Look, I thought the two of you had broken up after that night at Scandals.”

“At this point, I wish I had.”

“I’m not saying that he’s doing anything with that guy because I’ve never seen any PDA.”

“I get it. You thought they were keeping their displays of affection to private areas.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry about what I said. I shouldn’t have said that you don’t love me. That’s not my call to make.” He took a deep breath and let it out. He reached up and opened the console between the front seats and pulled out a few napkins. He wiped his eyes and nose. “What I said still stands though. I’m not a cheater and I won’t step out on him. I will talk to him this evening though. Can you text me those photos, please? I’m assuming that Blaine didn’t recognize you when you’ve been at the club.”

“Not that I could ever tell.” Dave texted him the photos.

“How do you even have my number?”

“Santana gave it to me back when I was doing the Bully Whip thing with her. She said I’d need it if you didn’t ever show up to where we were supposed to meet, so I could call you and go to where you were. You know, like if you had gotten a pass to go to Miss P’s office during class or something.”

“Oh. Alright.” He looked at the photo from lunch for a minute. All of a sudden, he said, “I know who that is.”

“Who?”

“That’s Cooper Anderson. He does the Free Credit Rating Today commercials.”

“Oh, I’ve seen those. I never paid that much attention.”

“Blaine’s dad has a place in Columbus. I bet that’s where he picked Cooper up. Cooper must be a relative of his. Cousin? Uncle? He’s quite a bit older than Blaine, like 10 years, if I had to guess. Well, that just means that he’s not cheating on me with Cooper.” He took another long deep breath and let it out. “I don’t know what else to say. ‘Thank you’ seems totally wrong as a response to telling me that my boyfriend is going out clubbing behind my back, but I guess it’s better to know now than later.”

“Obviously tonight didn’t go like I had planned. But I need you to know that who you saw when I was walking you to class – that was me. Tonight and the past week, with the cards and the gifts – that’s the real me. I’m a sentimental romantic at heart. I’m not strong like you. I may look tougher, but it’s all a façade to keep people from seeing the real me because I’m too weak to stand up under it all like you did. Anyway, there’s this song that I sing a lot when I think about how much I screwed up by how I acted. I just want to sing this for you. I sing along with it the recording at home, but I’m just going to wing it, okay?”

Kurt was too worn out emotionally to stop him, plus he was curious. He nodded.

_And I’d give up forever to touch you,_  
_‘Cause I know that you feel me somehow._  
_You’re the closest to heaven that I’ll ever be._  
_And I don’t want to go home right now._

 _And all I can taste is this moment._  
_And all I can breathe is your life._  
_And sooner or later it’s over._  
_I just don’t wanna miss you tonight._

 _And I don’t want the world to see me._  
_‘Cause I don’t think that they’d understand._  
_When everything’s meant to be broken,_  
_I just want you to know who I am._

 _And you can’t fight the tears that ain’t coming,_  
_Or the moment of truth in your lies,_  
_When everything feels like the movies,_  
_Yeah, you bleed just to know you’re alive._

_And I don’t want the world to see me._  
_‘Cause I don’t think that they’d understand._  
_When everything’s meant to be broken,_  
_I just want you to know who I am._

Kurt wiped the tears from his eyes again and offered Dave one of the napkins to wipe his. “That was beautiful, David. Thank you.” His phone buzzed. He turned it over to look. He signed heavily. “It’s Rachel wanting to know where I am. I have to get going. I have a boyfriend to deal with and I don’t expect that to go well. I appreciate you telling me everything you’ve told me tonight. It’s going to take some time for my heart to heal, and I’m not offering something I can’t promise. I was sincere about the offer of friendship. I don’t really have anything else to offer at the moment.”

__

“I understand. I accept your offer. You’ve got my number now. Give me a call sometime.” He opened the door and stepped out. Before he closed it, he said, “I’m sorry your Valentine’s Day has gone so lousy. I meant everything I said tonight and in the cards I sent. I hope you like the candy. The butterscotch ones are my favorite.”

__


	2. Bowing Out of the Dance

“Hey, I got the cheese tray. Our _Being Bobby Brown_ marathon can officially begin,” Kurt said, as he carried a tray of snacks into his bedroom.

Blaine was looking through Kurt’s phone. “So, it’s true?”

“Why are you going through my phone?” He put the tray down and went to retrieve his phone. “Give me that.”

Blaine pulled it back so he couldn’t reach. “Artie told me something funny yesterday. He said he was waiting on his mom to come out of one of the shops in Findlay and he saw a guy that looked a lot like you in your ‘butch’ phase playing mini-golf with Karofsky across the street from where they were parked.”

“Give me my phone.”

“He thought it was hysterical. He even took a picture and showed it to me. It was blurry from being so far away. But it wasn’t someone who looks like you. It WAS you. You’re cheating on me.”

“I’m not cheating on you. How is going mini-golfing with someone cheating on you?”

He looked through Kurt’s text log with Dave. “You’ve been texting with him for a month.”

“Nothing happened. You used to text Sebastian all the time. How is this different?”

“I was there when you were upset about him stealing your first boy kiss. He likes you.”

“Sebastian made his intentions towards you pretty clear.”

“He just liked to annoy you. And those texts with Sebastian were family friendly. You’ve been going on dates with him for weeks. This is cheating.” Blaine finally handed Kurt’s phone back.

“I went to the arcade. I went bowling. I didn’t cheat on you. I feel like I’ve taken crazy pills. There’s nothing going on between me and Dave. We’re just friends. Did you actually even read the texts? I’m sorry if this made you upset, but it’s…it’s…it’s okay.”

“It’s not right – but it’s okay.” He walked out.

* * *

The heels on Blaine’s dress shoes clacked on the tile floor, as he left the choir room angrily.

“I didn’t cheat on you,” Kurt said in a firm, but quiet voice.

“Not to get in the middle of this, but I saw you with my own eyes,” Artie said.

“What exactly did you see?” Kurt turned his ice bitch glare on Artie.

“You and Karofsky being all buddy-buddy playing mini-golf in Findlay on Sunday.”

“And?”

“You were on a date with Karofsky while you have a boyfriend.”

“I was playing mini-golf with Dave. Last time I checked that was a non-sexual activity that didn’t require any sort of attraction to be a mutually enjoyed activity. It was opening weekend. We were ready to do something besides go bowling.”

“So, you’ve been going on dates to the bowling alley too?” Santana asked.

“Not dates. Quasi-sporting activities that involve absolutely no physical contact to do. I’ve been bowling with most of you. Were those dates? You all are ridiculous. Finn and Puck go play mini-golf and go bowling and play pool. Were those dates?”

“No, of course not,” Artie said.

“Why? Because neither of them is gay? It suddenly becomes romantic and a date if I’m there? So, if I went bowling with Puck, would it be a date? You all are so hypocritical. I’m not cheating. I’ve never cheated. Pretty much everyone else in this room minus Artie and maybe Joe, Rory, and Sugar has either cheated on someone or with someone.

Joe shook his head, as did Rory and Sugar.

“Why would you spend time with Karofsky?” Finn asked.

“We’ve moved past our differences.”

“‘Differences’?” Mercedes snorted. “That makes it sound like he likes mustard on his fries instead of ketchup. He was awful to you. That’s not a difference.”

“He grew up. I don’t understand why I have to defend my choice of friends. Besides Sam, when was the last time any of you invited me to do something fun?”

No one responded.

“Crickets,” Kurt said.

Brittany pulled her feet up into her chair and looked around freaked out. “Where?”

Santana comforted her.

“Not a one of you. Sort of like how many of you offered help besides prayers when my dad was in the hospital. For a group of people who are supposedly my friends, it’s pretty lopsided. I’ve helped pretty much everyone in this room with something with nothing asked in return because that’s what friends do. This is ridiculous. I’m not cheating on Blaine and I don’t need your permission to be friends with someone.” He picked up his bag and left the room.

* * *

“Carole?” Kurt called out as he shut the front door.

“In the kitchen, honey.”

Kurt sat down on one of the stools at the island. “I need to talk to you, please.”

“Sure, honey. Let me get this simmering and put the lid on.” She finished up and washed her hands. “What’s up?”

He took a deep breath and let it out. “You know that I’ve been doing things with Dave.”

“Mmm hmm.”

“Do you think that counts as cheating on Blaine?”

“Do you do anything romantic with Dave?”

“As in hugging, kissing, that kind of stuff?”

She nodded.

“Nope. Bowling. The arcade. Video games when Finn’s not here and I play his xBox, which he does not know about. Um… We play Words with Friends online. He plays some silly tank Facebook game that I signed up for so I can send him parts he requests. And we played mini-golf this past weekend.”

“You and I could do all of those things, except that I’m not good at several of them. I do like Words with Friends and mini-golf, which you don’t have to be good at to have fun doing. A lot of those things are the types of things people do on dates, but usually an outing only counts as a date if the two people like each other and are romantically involved.”

“That’s my take on the issue, but Blaine found out and went through my phone yesterday and blasted me with a Whitney Houston breakup song in Glee today. He called me a cheater. And even the ones who think I wouldn’t cheat are mad that I’ve been spending time with Dave. Why do they have the right to decide whether I can befriend him?”

“They don’t, honey. But think about it. Why would they understand? Most people don’t forgive people who treated them the way Dave treated you. I know the four of us met and talked, but even your dad was leery of the whole ‘reformed’ Dave concept. After a few weeks of you having no issues, he’s gotten over it. I think Dave offering to pay back the Dalton tuition helped. Even though it will take him years to do it at the rate he’s doing it, it’s something to show his sincerity.” She got up and got him a glass of water and offered him a banana, a condiment cup with peanut butter and a few chocolate chips in it, and a knife.

He smiled and peeled the banana and added the peanut butter to each bite.

“How did he find out?”

“Artie saw us at the mini-golf course and took a picture. He thought it was just someone that looked like me and he showed it to Blaine because he thought it was funny. Blaine went through my phone yesterday when I was down here getting us snacks. He saw the texts between us.” He took another bite. He pulled his phone out, opened the text log, and slid the phone across the island.

She read through it for a minute or so. “I don’t see anything other than some teasing and teen guy banter.”

“That’s because I’m not flirting with him. We’re still in the get-to-know-each-other phase. I’ve only known Karofsky. Dave says that wasn’t the real him. I’m giving him a chance to show me the real Dave. I saw a glimpse of it last year. These last few weeks, he’s been completely different than the bully I knew.”

“No one else knows he’s gay, Kurt. They’re not going to see why you have any reason to spend time with him. Without outing him, you’re going to be between a rock and a hard place. The Glee kids aren’t going to understand your actions. Even if they knew, I don’t know if they’d try to understand.”

“I want to show you something else.” Kurt took his phone back and opened it to the pictures Dave had taken. He turned it back around. “Dave took those of Blaine at a gay-friendly club.”

She picked his phone up and zoomed in. “I don’t recognize the guy.”

“It’s not someone I know either. This has been going on since November.”

She put the phone down. “He doesn’t know that you know about this, does he?”

“Nope. I’ve known since February and I’ve never said a word. Dave said he never saw the two of them do anything but talk and dance. I’m not his parent. I have no say in him going to a club. It’s an 18 and up club. He’s not breaking any laws by being there. I gave him the benefit of the doubt with Sebastian and then with this.”

“How did you find out about this? You said Dave took the picture?”

“Yeah. Um, he asked me out on Valentine’s. I turned him down. I asked why he would ask me out knowing that I was dating Blaine. He told me thought we had broken up since he kept seeing him with the same guy at the club.” He got up and put the banana peel in the compost and the other stuff in the dishwasher.

“What are you going to do?”

“Do?”

“About Blaine?”

“He broke up with me very publicly. He introduced the song saying that it was for anyone who had been cheated on. He sang quite angrily and forcefully walked out of the room when he finished, so I’m unsure why I need to do anything other that return anything of his that I might have upstairs.”

“What are you going to do about Glee?”

“I’m going to go prepare an amazing Whitney Houston song to sing tomorrow. Thanks for the snack and listening.” He got up.

She stood up and hugged him. “Anytime, honey.”

* * *

“Hey, Kurt.” Dave picked up after the first ring.

“Hey.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Blaine found out today that we’re friends. Artie showed him a picture of us playing mini-golf and he went through my phone when I was out of the room yesterday.”

“Oh. Okay. So, did you call to cancel going to Columbus on Sunday?”

“No. Why would I cancel?”

“Well, you didn’t break up with him after I showed you the pictures, so I figured you’d pick him over me.”

“He accused me of cheating on him with you. He sang a breakup song to me in Glee. It’s over. He doesn’t trust me. I’ve never told him that I know about the clubbing. You said you’ve never seen him do anything with Eli. I decided to trust him, but he doesn’t trust me. It’s not worth fighting to prove my innocence when I was found guilty in advance. I can’t go off to New York and have him not trust me. How long will it take after I leave before he does something besides dance with Eli?”

“I’m sorry.”

“You didn’t do anything. I just wanted you to know. And I also wanted to reassure you that no matter what rumors get spread, I won’t say anything about you being gay. Although other people may jump to conclusions. I’m the one that should be sorry. I put you at risk.”

“I’m the one that suggested mini-golf. We’ve only got a couple of months of school left. Football is over. I don’t have to share a locker room with anyone. And I turned 18, so my mom can’t send me to conversion therapy. She might kick me out, but I could camp out in my truck for two months if I have to. I paid for it, so no one can call it in as stolen.”

“I just wanted you to know. I’ve got some stuff I have to get done for school tomorrow. If I don’t talk to you again before Sunday, I’ll see you at 7:00 at the hardware store.”

“See ya.”

* * *

After school Friday, Kurt waited impatiently in his seat. He had already taken his bag and books to his car. As soon as Mr. Schue stepped to the center of the room, Kurt put his hand up. “Mr. Schue, I’d like to go first. I have to leave early.”

He moved and sat down in a chair on the first riser on the end near his office. Kurt took his place in the center of the room. The intro started and Kurt came in clear and strong.

_Tired of playing this game.  
And I won’t play it no more.  
And I won’t take it no more.  
Through with being your fool.  
And I won’t do it no more.  
And I won’t, I won’t keep up this act,  
Not for one more minute.  
I’m gonna pull, gonna pull this curtain down._

_This time I won’t play this game.  
I made a vow to make a change.  
And I bow out.  
I won’t be hanging around, baby.  
I decline to take the pain.  
And I resign the masquerade.  
And I bow out.  
I won’t be staying around, baby.  
I bow out._

_Can’t go on with the show.  
You’re just a stage I went through.  
Now, you’re just fading from view, yeah, baby.  
It’s time for a change of scene.  
I guess I won’t, I won’t stay in this play,  
Not for one more minute.  
I’m gonna make, I’m gonna make my exit now, baby.  
I bow out._

_When you’re left standing on that stage all alone.  
Maybe you will realize  
You should have learned to treat me right.  
And when this final act is finally through.  
Maybe you’ll wish you’d been  
The kind of man you should have been.  
Now, watch me say goodbye  
And walk right out of your life._

_I won’t be staying around.  
I bow out._

As soon as the music ended, Kurt walked out of the room.


	3. Goodbye, Lima. Hello, New York!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Minor injury that requires overnight hospital stay in this chapter.

“Are you glad you went?” Dave asked when he answered Kurt’s call the Sunday evening he returned from Nationals.

“Yeah. At least I got to stay with Santana and Brittany instead of having to pay for my own room like I thought I was going to have to. Winning felt good, even though I didn’t have any featured parts.”

“Mr. Schue is really stupid sometimes.”

“Prejudice can be anywhere, even in people who think they’re open-minded. I found out something interesting.”

“What’s that?”

“Britt knew you were gay a long time ago and just never said anything.”

Dave laughed.

“She said that you offered to massage her leg where she had a charlie horse one time and that you didn’t get aroused by it, so she knew.”

“She’s smarter than people give her credit for.”

“Since Rachel couldn’t hold her tongue, everyone found out that I didn’t get into NYADA and that she did. I never told anyone besides my parents that I applied other places because I didn’t want to deal with Rachel’s drama over it. You’re the one that pointed out the stupidity of that. I know I already thanked you, but I really appreciate you knocking some sense into me and helping me find places that had rolling enrollment options.”

“You’re the one that told me to deactivate my Facebook account and get a new phone number after the rumors started at McKinley. Sometimes getting an outside perspective is good.”

“It can be.” He took a deep breath and sighed. “There’s just a week of school and then finals left. We’ve almost made it. Sorry I’m kind of rambling.” He yawned. “A lot of them still think I owe it to Blaine to forgive him for overreacting and that I should take him back.”

“That’s because you protected him and me. Since you played it off like why would I like you, they still assume I’m straight, so they gave up the ‘cheating’ angle, but stuck with the ‘you shouldn’t be my friend’ angle. If you had just shown everyone the photos of him going out clubbing, they wouldn’t be acting the way they are.”

“I shouldn’t have to prove to them why I’m not going to just swoon back into his arms. I’m just putting it behind me and walking boldly into my future – the one I’m planning. We’re leaving in 19 days.”

“I think maybe just the few vocal ones are getting to you. You already know that Sam and Santana and Britt are on your side. I think it’s mostly just Rachel and Finn because of Rachel’s influence. You forgave Puck. He and Mike aren’t going to see why you wouldn’t forgive me too. Just let Rachel stew in her own juice.”

“That’s a good point. I think you’re probably right. I think Rachel’s misguided belief that Blaine is the embodiment of a Disney prince is clouding her view. If he had been bi, she wouldn’t have gone back to Finn. She thinks he’s amazing. It doesn’t matter. I’m moving on. I can still hardly believe we managed to snag the place in Brooklyn before anyone else.”

“Well, you were the first one to watch the video obviously. I’m excited too. Go to sleep,” Dave teased.

“Fine, fine. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

* * *

In different auditoriums in Lima the last Saturday in May both Kurt and Dave heard their names called as they approached the stages to take their diplomas. Photos were taken, speeches were given, and parties were thrown and attended.

At his and Finn’s party, Kurt distributed handmade cards to each of the New Directions members, even Blaine. Inside he put a photo of himself with the recipient and wrote a good memory he had of the person. He told everyone to wait until they got home to open them.

Dave’s party was just a small family lunch at his grandparents. He told his parents that’s what he wanted and that he’d see people at the Senior Class Picnic the following day, which he skipped. Instead, he went out to one of the nearby lakes for the afternoon with Kurt while Burt, Carole, and Finn had Carole’s family over for lunch.

After the luncheon, Finn sat down with Rachel and explained to her that despite the fact that he loved her, he didn’t want to go to New York. He reminded her of how they had discussed that they’d stay together through their senior year, but that he hadn’t promised anything beyond that. He told her that he had decided to enroll at Lima Community College and pursue a degree in teaching, while living at home and working in the shop with Burt. She was unable to sway him to consider studying in New York.

The last week before their departure seem to both drag on and go by quickly with them spending their days sorting and cleaning their rooms and packing to leave.

During the week, almost all of the New Directions came by or called to talk to Kurt.

Rachel was the last to make an appearance. She agreed that she had taken her support of Blaine too far and hadn’t properly considered Kurt’s point of view. She said nothing about her opposition to his friendship with Dave. As far as apologies went, it was terrible, but it was more than Kurt had expected.

Kurt said his goodbyes to Finn and Carole before pulling out of the driveway in the small U-Haul. 

He met Dave on the edge of town and they loaded his boxes into the U-Haul. Dave drove to the hardware store to meet up with the guy he was selling his truck to. Once the process was finished, he called Kurt to pick him up. 

They reminisced about when they got their first vehicles and the sense of loss in selling them as they headed out of town.

* * *

They stopped at an Ikea and Target on their way to the apartment.

“Why did I never notice that this sofa came in 16 boxes?” Kurt asked rhetorically.

Dave just chuckled. “We’ve carried up a thousand boxes and I think they’re multiplying when we aren’t looking because it seems like there are a thousand left in here. Let’s keep moving. We’ve got the beds to take up still too.”

“Third floor doesn’t sound too bad – until you go up and down five million times.”

A couple of hours later, they finally had everything inside the apartment. They took the U-Haul and dropped it off. They splurged on a taxi back to the apartment after they ate at a diner across the street from the drop-off.

Kurt unlocked the door and closed and locked it behind them. “Home sweet home. I am so dead, but I refuse to sleep on the floor. Let’s get the beds set up. Then I’m showering and sleeping as long as possible.”

“Sounds good to me. We have to go grocery shopping tomorrow because my budget can’t take $10 for every meal.”

“Yeah, mine either.”

* * *

Two weeks later, both of them had found jobs and they were getting close to having the apartment finished. With working different hours, it had taken them longer than they had expected to get all of the pieces assembled since most of them required more than one person.

When they finally had everything situated, Dave said, “I’m going to run down to that bakery and get us each a dessert. I’ll be right back. He stuck his phone in his pocket and headed out the door.

When he hadn’t come back in 20 minutes, Kurt got concerned. He called Dave and got no response. He tried a couple more times, with no success.

An hour later, Kurt’s phone rang.

“David, where are you?”

“This is Norma. I’m a nurse and your friend’s phone isn’t locked. I called you because you’re the last person he called. He has no ID on him and he’s unconscious. Can you come down here to the hospital? If you can get his ID and insurance card that would be great.” She gave him specific instructions on where to take the information.

“Is he okay?”

“All I can tell you over the phone is that he’s stable. When you get here, tell them you’ve got ID for John Doe in room 214.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Kurt put his shoes on and pulled a map up to find the hospital. He decided to just flag down a cab when he saw that it was over a mile away. When he got there, he did as he had been told.

Once they took down Dave’s information, he was directed to the elevator. 

He opened the door and went in. Dave wasn’t awake. Kurt pulled a chair up to the side of his bed and took his hand. 

A nurse eventually came in and told him that Dave had been hit by car in the crosswalk. They couldn’t find any evidence of any broken bones, but he had a concussion. The driver had left the scene and Dave had been unconscious when the paramedics arrived. 

Kurt sat and held Dave’s hand and alternated between speaking to him and singing quietly. “David, I need you to wake up.” 

He stayed until visitation hours were over and then took a cab back home. He showered and went to bed, but didn’t sleep well. 

The next morning, he walked back to the hospital, picking up a small bouquet on the walk there. When he got there, Dave was awake.

“Oh, my God, David. You scared me half to death. Are you okay?”

“I had a killer headache, but they gave me something for it.” He took the flowers that Kurt handed to him. “These are beautiful. Thanks.”

“When can you leave?”

“In a few hours I think. They said a doctor would be around in a couple of hours and he’d probably release me.”

Kurt started singing softly.

_Look both ways when you cross the street  
To the left and to the right_

Dave started laughing. “I did look both ways. I swear. Stop singing Barney songs to me. I was crossing in the crosswalk and there were no cars to the left or right. I was hit by someone who turned right on red without actually stopping first.”

“How did you manage to end up without any broken bones?”

“I saw this video on what to do. You jump and land on the hood of the car and it prevents you from being knocked to the ground and run over. It just so happens that the car stopped really quickly and caused me to roll across the hood and hit my head on the windshield, I guess. I’m not sure. Anyway, the driver and the passenger moved me to the sidewalk and high-tailed it. At least they didn’t leave me in the street.”

“I’m glad they didn’t. But this just proves that we need to get to the DMV and get new licenses and you need to take your wallet whenever you leave the apartment, not just your debit card in that hidden slot in your phone case. I’m just glad you’re okay. I was so worried last night. I was here, but they sent me home when visiting hours ended.”

“The nurse told me.”

“Good. I called the gym and told your manager. And I switched days off at the shop. Now, we just have to wait for the doctor to release you.”

* * *

Kurt pulled Sam into a hug as soon as he stepped inside the apartment. Dave closed the door.

“So, the tour. To the left is our lovely coat closet.”

Sam laughed. “I know closets are hard to come by. Yours is _very_ impressive.”

Kurt took a step forward. “To the left is our amazing all-purpose room.”

“Dude, this place is huge. This room is like the size of your family room in the basement in Lima.”

“I think it’s bigger,” Kurt said. “We have the sofa, the TV and game consoles. Behind the sofa is our work area with our desks and shelving against the left wall. That table behind the sofa that looks small is actually a drop-leaf table that we use for game nights. Down the hall to the right is our kitchen.”

“This is like a real kitchen. It’s amazing. I know you love having all this space to cook.”

“You know me well. There are two more closets. One to the right, near the kitchen. And one to my left. Past the closet is the bathroom, and here next to the kitchen on the left is our bedroom.”

“Which is also huge. You have two beds and a whole wall of storage shelves and closet space, a dresser, a smaller desk, and there’s still a lot of room in here. And you have three windows. That’s amazing. My dorm room isn’t as big as this room. This place is really nice.”

“We really like it. Dinner’s actually ready, if you’re ready to eat.”

“Sounds great. I’m starving. They didn’t serve anything on the flight and the dorm doesn’t serve food after 2:00 on Sundays.”

* * *

“Yes, Santana,” Kurt said. “I do love it here. My school is great. Sam loves the art school. I don’t really talk to Rachel. Mike’s happy at Alvin Ailey.”

“I hate it here. I’m applying to transfer to somewhere in New York. I’m cramming in as many of the transferrable types of courses as I can. Britt’s just taking electives basically. I have no idea how she managed to convince her advisor to approve her schedule. She has four dance classes, piano for beginners, and an art class. I talked to Rachel. She’s not loving NYADA. Something about know-it-all dance teachers who criticize her? Who knows? Text me a link to your school. You said it’s affordable, right?”

“Very. It’s one-fifth the cost of NYADA. The instructors really care and want us to do well and learn. I really love it. It’s small. It’s not in Manhattan, but I like it a lot.”

“It’s only the middle of October. I’m not sure I can last another six months here, but I’ll do my best so I’m not just wasting my time.”

“Look for dance schools for Brittany. Study business. You’ve always been good at bossing people around.”

“Smartass. You’re one to talk, but you do have a point. Britt doesn’t really want to go to college. She came here because of me. I have to go to cheer practice. I’ll do more research.”

* * *

From the living room, Dave could hear Kurt singing as he looked through their clothes for potential costume pieces for the Halloween Masquerade Ball at Kurt’s school.

_When it’s not always raining,  
There’ll be days like this.  
When there’s no one complaining,  
There’ll be days like this.  
When everything falls into place like the flick of a switch,  
Well, my mama told me,  
There’ll be days like this._

_When no one steps on my dreams,  
There’ll be days like this.  
When people understand what I mean,  
There’ll be days like this.  
When you ring out the change of how everything is.  
Well, my mama told me,  
There’ll be days like this._


	4. They Didn’t. All Clear. And a Prelude to Love.

“Who did the planning for this wedding anyway?” Kurt shook his head in disbelief. “Why would two people who work in a school invite a bunch of students to a wedding on a Thursday?”

Dave snorted when he laughed. “You’re talking about Mr. Schue. I don’t think logic has to be involved. You’re not going are you?”

“Of course not. I can’t miss three days of school and four days of work just to go to a wedding. I already have a plane ticket for spring break week to go with my dad to his oncology appointment to see how the treatments are going. I can’t afford to fly there in two weeks. Plus, there’s a song assignment list for the reception. I’ll give you three guesses who I’m paired with to sing romantic duets, the first of which is ‘I Just Can’t Get Enough’?”

Dave laughed. “From your reaction, I don’t even need to guess. Man, those guys are single-minded. When are they going to get a clue? You two haven’t been a couple in a really long time.”

“I’m sure Mr. Schue just made the list on autopilot. I mean he didn’t think about the fact that a Thursday is a stupid day to have a late afternoon wedding. And to answer your question, I’m thinking the day after never?”

Dave laughed. “Sounds about right.”

* * *

Dave came in from class on Valentine’s Day to find that Kurt had cooked his favorite meal and had it ready to serve, but there were no flowers or decorations. He sat down at the table with Kurt.

“What’s all this?”

“I made your favorites.”

“I see that, but why?”

“Because it’s the anniversary of when we started our friendship.”

“Well, then Happy Friendship Anniversary.” He began to serve himself. “It looks great. Thanks for doing this.”

“You’re welcome. I figured we should celebrate the good times and I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you this year. We’ve been here over eight months and it’s been really nice being your roommate. I’ve heard some horror stories at school.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“If you have time, I thought we’d watch a movie before we put our noses back to the schoolwork grindstone.”

“I think I can manage that. This is really good.”

“I even made dessert, so save room.”

Dave smiled.

They split one of turtle brownies that Kurt had made when they finished eating, leaving eight.

“These are my new favorite brownies,” Dave said.

“You said that about the s’mores brownies I made for New Year’s.”

“Well, those are my favorite too. It’s a good thing you only make dessert once in a while. All of the weight I’ve dropped from all of the walking and healthy food you cook 98% of the time would be right back and I like the trimmer me. I just feel more comfortable in my body. I don’t need the bulk now that I’m not playing football or hockey. I do miss skating though. Maybe we could go sometime.”

“Sounds fun. I’m not great, but I can stay upright.”

Kurt’s phone started buzzing repeatedly when he was clearing the table. Finally, curiosity got the best of him and he took it out before he finished his task.

“Oh, my God.”

“What?”

“Miss Pillsbury left before the ceremony started. They didn’t get married. Finn’s texting me repeatedly, freaking out.”

“Why is he texting you? There’s nothing you can do about it. Why is he so upset?”

“He’s Mr. Schue’s best man.”

“Doesn’t he have any adult friends?”

“I guess not.” He shook his head. “Coach Sylvester is at the reception in a wedding dress.”

“That’s insane.”

He silenced his phone. “Let’s just finish packing up the leftovers to eat for lunch the next couple of days and watch the movie and our official dessert brownies. There’s nothing I can do about the crazy that’s going on in Lima.”

* * *

A few weeks later when he sat down at the table in the Lima Bean with Mercedes and Mike, Kurt nearly turned to say something to Dave, who obviously wasn’t there. He refocused and listened to what the two of them were talking about – Mercedes’ album? He nodded politely and tried to interact, but he lost count of the packets he was stacking and had to start over. He left his phone face up on the table so he could check the time frequently. He realized that he had pretty much run out of things to talk about ten minutes into the conversation. Eventually, he apologized and excused himself.

He went back home to wait with Carole until his dad came back from the shop to go to his oncology appointment. He sat down with her on the couch and attempted to read one of the magazines from the end table.

She noticed him fidgeting and struggling to be calm. “Honey, your dad’s going to be okay.”

“He just has to. I can’t lose him too.”

She scooted closer wrapped her arm around him. “I know, honey. I know.”

He leaned into her and the tears he’d kept at bay all day fell freely. “I should have gone to the shop with him instead of out for coffee. I couldn’t keep my mind focused.”

“I dusted until I made myself so tired that I had to sit down not long before you came in.”

They heard Burt pull into the driveway. Kurt got up and scurried to the half-bath to attempt to make himself look more put-together than he felt. When he came out, the three of them left for the doctor’s office.

An hour later, after more fidgeting and Kurt nearly losing it because Burt had worn a black t-shirt, the doctor gave him the all clear. The cancer was gone. Kurt finally felt like he could breathe normally again.

They went home and Finn arrived not long after they had. They had a nice family dinner together before spending the evening playing board games. He felt constrained with Finn there and was actually was relieved when he left.

“Why are you still so on edge, Kiddo?”

“It’s just the same thing as earlier when I was out with Mercedes and Mike. So much of my life includes Dave that being unable to talk about him makes me have very little to say. We’re best friends now. We play Xbox and Wii games, we play board games, we go bowling occasionally, we went to the beach until it got cold, and we’ve been ice skating, to the aquarium, and all sort of things. I’ve made friends with some of the people I go to school with too, but when they come over, Dave is still there and he participates in the movie night or game night or whatever. I just don’t have much to talk about that doesn’t include him. It’s hard to watch every word I say. Mike knows that Dave’s my roommate, but Mercedes doesn’t. She was one of the minority that hasn’t really gotten over me forgiving Dave.”

“Keeping a small secret is hard. Keep a big secret is nearly impossible.”

Kurt nodded.

“Is he out? I didn’t ask when we were there at Christmas because I didn’t want to make him uncomfortable.”

“Yes, as much as is possible without walking around wearing a t-shirt that says, ‘I’m gay.’”

Carole chuckled.

“He’s never going to ‘ping anyone’s gaydar’. He acts like a straight guy. He looks like a straight guy. But he’s open about it in situations where it’s a topic. He hasn’t told his parents yet. They still don’t even know that I’m his roommate.”

“Are you going to stay through the weekend?”

“I will just to spend time with you two, but I’m not going up to the school or to Regionals. I just want to leave high school behind. I really like my life in New York. I’m happy there. I like my school. I like my instructors. I’m learning a lot. I don’t want to be dragged back into high school squabbles and drama. I only know a few people in the group anyway.”

“Makes sense to me, Kiddo. Once I left high school, the only time I went back was to watch a few football games. Until you started high school, I hadn’t been back in the building since I graduated. You can come down to the shop with me tomorrow and I’ll put you to work.”

Kurt rolled his eyes. “This is my one week of vacation for the whole semester and you want me to work?” he teased.

“Shuffle and deal those cards and stop being so melodramatic.”

* * *

The next day, Kurt had lunch with Carole before he went to the shop. “By next fall, I think most everyone will be in New York. Tina’s applying to Columbia, NYU, and some other places that I’ve forgotten. Artie’s applying to a film school in Brooklyn. Rachel’s there already. Santana and Brittany are working on a plan to move there. That leaves Puck, Finn, Quinn, and Mercedes,” Kurt said. “Everyone else will be in the New York City area, except Blaine. Tina said he’s considering UCLA to be closer to Cooper.”

“It’s nice to hear you talking about everyone without being so aggravated like you were late last spring.”

“It’s nice not feeling as aggravated as I had been for so long. Going to a new school with all new people has made a huge difference. There are lots of unique people. I’m not the only one with a personal style that isn’t mainstream. I’m still unique, but I’m not singled out as worthy of ridicule for it.”

“That’s an improvement for sure.”

“It is. And it’s also nice to be treated like a ‘real boy’. Dave’s friends from school are fun. Elliott’s actually really cool. He’s an amazing singer. We have a lot of fun. I met a guy named Adam when I went to see Rachel perform. He’s from England and he comes over and we watch British TV shows and he’s been teaching me to bake scones and other stuff. I feel normal now. I’m just me and I work, go to school, have friends, and just have a normal life. It’s great.” Kurt got his phone out and showed her some pictures.

“I think the place you guys got is great. You have so much space. I was really surprised. I’m glad you’re happy. That’s what we wanted for you.”

* * *

Kurt spent a lot of the rest of his week reflecting on his life in New York from the conversations with Carole and his own thoughts and came to one really surprising revelation. On the flight back to New York, he made a plan. Before he had to turn his phone off, he texted Dave that he had to run some errands and he’d be arriving late.

When he landed, he took the transit into Midtown, and then met up with Elliott to set his plan in motion before he went home.

* * *

“Hey, Kurt?” Dave said as he came in the door the following Thursday afternoon.

“Yeah? In here sewing, well piecing something so I can sew it. What’s up?”

He pulled something out of his backpack. “I opened my notebook today at lunch and a greeting card fell out.”

“Okay?”

“It’s from a secret admirer. There’s a time and location for a meet up – tonight. I haven’t opened the notebook in a few days. I’m not even sure how long it’s been in there.”

“Are you going to go?”

“Nah. I’m not interested.”

“Maybe you should just meet her or him. Let them know, rather than leaving them hanging to keep crushing on you.”

“Whatever. I’ll go change. It seems like a slacks and button up kind of place by the name.”

“I can go with you, if you want moral support.”

Dave called out from down the hall. “Great idea.”

* * *

“Why don’t you just sit at this table? Then whoever it is can see you easily when they come in. I’m going to run to the men’s room really quick and I’ll sit somewhere where I can see you. Just wait to order until the person shows up.”

“Yeah, sure. This is nerve-wracking.”

Dave’s back was to the stage area, so he didn’t see Kurt head that way instead of to the restroom. He sat down at the piano and adjusted the mic quietly. He played an intro and started to sing.

_ I had no choice but to hear you.   
You stated your case quite clearly.   
I thought about it. _

Dave turned around instantly and rotated his chair. Kurt was looking straight at him.

_ You treat me like I’m a prince.   
I’m not use to that.   
You ask how my day was. _

_ Your love is thick and it swallowed me whole.   
_ _You’re so much braver that you gave yourself credit for._ _  
That’s not lip service. _

_ You’ve already won me over in spite of me.   
And don’t be alarmed that I’ve fallen head over feet.   
And don’t be surprised if I love you for all that you  are.   
I couldn’t help it. It’s  all your fault. _

_ You’re the bearer of unconditional things.   
You held your breath and you’ve been there for me.   
Thanks for your patience. _

_You’re the best listener that I’ve ever met._ _  
You’re my best friend.  
-   
What took me so long? _

_ I’ve never felt this healthy before.   
I’ve never wanted anything more.   
I am aware now. _   
_ I am aware now. _

_ You’ve already won me over in spite of me.  
And don’t be alarmed that I’ve fallen head over feet.   
And don’t be surprised if I love you for all that you are.   
I couldn’t help it. It’s  all your fault. _

He winked at Dave and left the stage to go sit with him.

Dave was on his feet with a grin the size of Texas before Kurt got there. “My fault?” Dave laughed. “Are you freaking serious?”

“Absolutely. It’s absolutely your fault, David. You’ve been so amazing. Over spring break, I realized that I’ve been falling for you for months. And I’m all yours, if you’ll have me.”

“IF? I’ve been in love with you forever.”

Kurt put his hands on Dave’s shoulders. “Can I kiss you?”

Dave put his hands on Kurt’s waist. “Right now?”

“We can go home first, if you want.”

“Now’s good.”

Kurt smiled and pressed his lips to Dave’s gently. “How about we go home for the rest of the kisses.”

He took Kurt’s hand and led them outside.


	5. Getting Past the Past

Dave hadn’t let go of Kurt’s hand since they left the restaurant – on the walk to the subway, through the subway ride, and on the walk home. The smile hadn’t left his face either. Every time Kurt would glance over at him, his smile just seemed to get bigger.

When they got to their building, Kurt said, “I had planned on having dinner there, so I don’t have anything ready here. Do you want me to order something?”

“Anything is fine. We can go eat there another time. It looked like a nice place.”

Kurt pulled his phone out and ordered from their favorite Chinese place. “They said an hour.”

Dave opened the door to the building and they went upstairs. He unlocked the door, letting Kurt step through first without letting go of his hand. Dave pushed the door shut behind them and stopped. Kurt turned back and stepped in front of him, facing him.

“Is something wrong?”

He shook his head slightly and wiped his eyes. “No. Everything is so right that I feel like I imagined all of this.”

“Oh, David,” Kurt stepped closer and put his free hand on the side of Dave’s face and used his thumb to wipe the tear away. “It’s not a dream or your imagination. Can I kiss you?”

Dave closed the distance between them until their lips were almost touching. Kurt leaned in and pressed his lips to Dave’s gently. He slid his hand down to the back of Dave’s neck and kissed him again with more pressure.

“Okay?”

“Perfect.”

Kurt stepped closer and backed Dave into the door without touching him. Dave still hadn’t let go of his hand. He ran his fingers through the back of Dave’s hair. “You can wrap your arms around me, if you want.”

Dave finally let go of Kurt’s hand and wrapped both of his arms around Kurt, who leaned into Dave. He moved both hands to cup Dave’s face.

Kurt softly brushed his thumbs across Dave’s eyelids. “Open your eyes.” Kurt smiled at him. “Will you be my boyfriend?”

Dave grinned. “Yes. A million times yes.”

Kurt’s eyes lit up from the huge smile on his face. He leaned in and kissed him, this time full of excitement. “I may have made some assumptions, but I have something I want to show you.” He kissed him again before he turned around.

Dave followed him down the hallway. Kurt opened both closet doors. Dave could see a box in each closet.

“I, um, orderedthisstufftomakeourbedsintoakingsizedbed.” Kurt said it so quickly that Dave didn’t catch what he said.

“I heard ‘ordered’ and ‘bed’. Relax. Whatever it is, just tell me.”

Kurt took a breath and tried to relax. “I ordered this stuff to make our beds into one king-sized bed.”

Dave’s eyebrows went up and he smiled that shy smile Kurt had seen at Breadstix that night when he pulled the gorilla costume head off. But in a flash, it morphed into an impish grin. “Oh, really?”

“Yes, really.” Kurt’s face flushed.

“So, show me. Surely, you didn’t think I’d say no.”

“I wasn’t sure if you’d like the comforter I ordered. It’s got burgundy like mine and navy like yours with some gold, so we can still use our same pillows and throws.” He pulled the bag out of the box. “We can probably get them put together before the food comes.”

It took them a half-hour to get everything securely fastened together and the comforter laid out. Kurt moved towards the door to get a full view of the bed in the room. Dave followed him.

“So, what do you think? I didn’t know if you’d like the damask and leaf pattern.”

“Well, it’s probably not what I would have walked in and picked on my own since I’ve always just had a solid blue comforter, but it looks good in here. The colors match the stuff we already have. It fits with the old-style stucco type walls and the old wood floors. And since it’s on our bed, I love it.”

“I ordered a mattress pad and sheets too, but I figured we could do something completely unromantic and go down to the laundry area and wash everything before we actually make the bed. I wanted to be sure you liked everything first.”

Dave turned so he could look Kurt in the eyes. “I think it looks good. And you’re wrong about washing everything not being romantic. I’m going to be sitting there the whole time thinking about how you ordered everything for us to sleep in the same bed. Very romantic.”

“You’re sappy.”

“I’m pretty sure you already knew that.”

“I did. It’s adorable and so are you.” He stepped closer and kissed Dave. “And I love you.”

“I never thought I’d hear you say that. I love you too.”

* * *

That night when they got in bed, they both lay flat on their backs. Kurt could sense Dave’s nervousness. He reached out for Dave’s hand and interlaced their fingers.

“I’m not expecting anything. I just want to be near you.” He took a deep breath and let it out. “Just so you know, all of this is as new to me as it is to you. I’ve never shared a bed with anyone. And the French kissing in the living room earlier is the extent of my sexual exploration, for lack of a better description. Well, I guess there was the five minutes when Brittany was lying on me trying to cop a feel and I kept moving her hand away.”

That broke the ice and Dave laughed. “So you and Blaine?”

“Kissed. Not French kissing like we were earlier. God, that was hot. Focus, Kurt,” he chided himself.

Dave laughed again.

“Just regular kissing like we were doing at the door when we first came back.”

“I just assumed… since you had dated for a year or so…”

“I’m sure a lot of people assumed. It was almost a year. I just couldn’t, even though I tried.”

“Couldn’t?”

“I’m doing a terrible job of this. That night we were at Scandals, Blaine got drunk, even though he drove us there. He lived closer to Scandals than I did, so I had driven to his house and left my SUV there. He wanted to have sex. I didn’t. I got out. He stormed off. I followed him and got him to get in his car at the edge of the parking lot and drove him to his house, and then I went home.”

“You’re leaving something out. He just asked if you wanted to have sex and you said ‘no’ and he stormed off? That doesn’t really make sense.”

“Not exactly.” Kurt stalled and then went on. “He was unsteady on the way out to his car. I was helping him walk. He wanted to kiss, I said ‘no’. I got the back door open and told him to get in and lie down. He pulled me in on top of him and his hands were everywhere. I said ‘no’ and ‘stop’ probably a dozen times. I kept moving his hands and trying to get loose so that I could get out of the car. He kept saying things to try to convince me. I eventually managed to get free of his hands and got my footing to get out of the backseat. Once I was out, he got back out too. He was upset that I was yelling. He stormed off and said he was sorry that he was trying to be spontaneous and fun. The next night, after the show, I told him that I wanted to go to his house instead of the cast party. I felt bad for not being spontaneous and fun like he wanted. I went and got what we’d need so I’d be prepared. I stripped down to my undershirt and jeans and he had a singlet and lounge pants on. We were lying in his bed and we started kissing, but when it started to move past chaste kissing, I just couldn’t. I couldn’t. I pulled back and he looked annoyed, but before he could say or do anything, I got up, grabbed my stuff and left, without even getting redressed. I pulled out and drove away. I stopped a few blocks away and put my shirt, vest, jacket, and shoes back on. After that, I just pretended like it never happened. I just felt relieved that he didn’t break up with me because I was such a prude. Everyone assumed. I just let them because I knew if they knew that I would never hear the end of it. I wasn’t even man enough to want to have sex.”

Dave’s breathing had sped up and his heart was racing. “That bastard!”

“What?”

“That was like the first half of a date rape story. One person tries to talk and convince an unwilling person and eventually wears down their refusal through any means possible, physical or verbal. Kissing down their neck or rubbing up against them turning them on physically and eventually getting them to give in. It’s still rape. If the person says ‘no’ that means ‘no’. It doesn’t mean ‘convince me’. And even after you managed to escape you still felt obligated to give into his coercion.” He let go of Kurt’s hand and wiped his eyes.

“Why are you so upset?”

“Because I’ve felt like the most awful person for kissing you that day without your permission and that bastard tried to force you or convince or whatever and never apologized to you and I just feel like it’s all my fault.”

“How could any of that be your fault?”

“You were treated so badly by all of the jocks, and most of all me, that your self-esteem was so low that you went out with someone who didn’t respect you. You’re worth so much more than that, Kurt. I just…” he was too upset to continue.

Kurt rolled onto his side and propped up on his elbow. “David, try to listen, okay?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ve done a lot of thinking since then. You’re right. My self-esteem was shot back then, but I’m not that guy anymore. You’re not that guy anymore. Yes, we’re still ourselves, but we’ve made changes to become the people we want to be, not the roles people pushed us into and we felt we had no option but to conform to. And before you argue with me, listen.”

“Okay.” He rolled onto his side as well.

“I left and went to Dalton. I conformed. I became a prep-school boy who didn’t rock the boat. I did what I had refused to do at McKinley. I did everything to fit in. I restrained myself in every way that I hadn’t at McKinley. I hated it. I wasn’t myself there. I pretended to like it because that was part of the prep-school shtick – quiet, calm, and content conformity. I wanted what everyone else had badly enough to hold out for a boy who knew I liked him that had repeatedly had the opportunity to indicate an interest in me, but did not. And when he finally did, instead of asking why he had suddenly done a 180, I was just thrilled to feel like someone liked me. I get being who you aren’t to fit in. It just so happens that they way you conformed hurt both yourself and other people when mine only hurt myself. If I had grown up knowing that I would be disowned if anyone found out that I was gay, I most certainly would not have pursued my more feminine interests. I would have doubled-down on being a mechanic and learning about and pretending to like sports. I would have learned everything there was about the masculine things I would have been expected to know about. I’m not sure if I could have been pressured into being a bully physically because I’m not big, but you already know my penchant for verbal smackdowns. There’s no way to know what I would have done if I had grown up with your parents. I don’t even want to go down that line of thought because it’s very dark. If you had grown up with my dad, you wouldn’t have had to hear sermons about how wrong being gay was.” He took a deep breath and let it out. “We were who we thought we had to be to survive. And we survived. We’ve been here over nine months being the people we are. I’m bold and out there and I’ve made friends with people who appreciate that about me rather than people who want me to tone it down. I’m sure there are still plenty of people who don’t want to be friends with me, but those people just don’t matter because I’m an adult and I can choose the group of people that I socialize with. I matter to me. I matter to the people who want be a part of my life. There’s this quote, ‘Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.’ That’s where I am now. And you’ve been showing me who you really are for over a year, before we even moved here. Don’t feel guilty about what went on between me and Blaine. That’s long, long over. I’m serious. No more guilt about it. You didn’t directly cause it. You aren’t at fault. And you apologized for what went on between the two of us two years ago and I forgave you a long time ago. You have been nothing but sweet, kind, and loving for over a year. There’s just one person you need to stop bullying now.”

“What? Who?”

“Yourself. You beat yourself up on the inside for something you did as a child. Honestly, Dave, you were 16. You screwed up. You’ve changed. Please, stop beating yourself up. It breaks my heart to see you be mean to the man I love. Will you stop? For me, if not for yourself?”

“I hadn’t ever thought of it that way.”

Kurt reached over and wiped the tears away. “Well, it’s time that you start. I love you and you’re worthy of respect and love, just like you said that I am.” Kurt started to sing softly.

_ Much as you blame yourself, you  can’t be blamed   
For the way you thought you had to feel.   
Had no example of a love that was even remotely real.   
How can you understand something that you never  had.   
Ooh, baby, if you let me, I can help you out with all of that. _

_ Just let me love you,   
And I will love you,   
Until you learn to love yourself.   
Just let me love you,   
And all your trouble.   
Don’t  be afraid,  just let me help .   
Let me love you,   
And I will love you.   
Until you learn to love yourself. _

_ I can see the pain behind your eyes.   
It’s been there for quite a while.   
I just  wanna be the one to remind you what it is to smile.   
I would like to show you what true love  can really do. _

_ Don’t  be afraid, just let me help. _  
__Let me love you,   
And I will love you,   
Until you learn to love yourself.

“You did this for me a little over a year ago. You loved me unconditionally knowing that I couldn’t return that love then, with no assurance that I ever would. I was broken still. You made no demands. You loved me when I didn’t love myself. I’ve healed. I want that for you too. I didn’t fall in love with you because you coerced me or manipulated me. The exact opposite. I fell in love with an amazing man, who turned his life around and became the person he wanted to be despite amazing odds against him.” Kurt leaned forward and kissed him gently. “David Alexander Karofsky. You are amazing and I love you.” He gently pushed Dave’s shoulder to get him to lie on his back again. “Now that we’ve got that settled, if you don’t mind, I would like a snuggle.”

Dave laughed. “You’re something else.” He moved his arm so Kurt could lay his head on his chest.

Kurt snuggled in and reached behind him and pulled Dave’s arm up around him. “I know, but you love me.”

“That I do.” He kissed Kurt on top of the head. “I definitely do.”


	6. All Out in Love

Sam knocked on the bedroom door and opened it slightly. Once he looked in, he stumbled over his words. “Kurt? We’re getting ready to start the movie.”

He turned around when he felt Dave walk up behind him. Dave ushered him into the room and closed the door behind them.

“I’m sorry. I stopped to tell him on my way into the bathroom. I didn’t mean to… find out something you didn’t want anyone to know.”

Kurt took a deep breath. “You can see the obvious, but no one knows. I mean I know Dave told you that he’s gay. But no one knows we’re together. He’s still not out to his parents and if people from Lima find out, word might get back to them.”

“I won’t say a word to anyone.”

“We know we can trust you, Sam. Dave would have never told you if he didn’t trust you.”

Dave said, “Just don’t mention that we’re seeing each other. You’re the only person that knows. We’ll remember to lock the door when we come in here when people are over to make sure no one else sees in here.”

“Can I just ask one question?”

“Sure,” Dave said.

“How long have you been together?”

“About a month and a half,” Kurt answered.

“So, the movie?” Sam said, stepping back towards the door.

* * *

At the end of the movie, Kurt got up and turned the light back on. “I’m glad you all could come. We’re going to miss everyone that’s going home for the summer. We’ll be here when you get back.”

Adam and Elliott were the only two staying in New York for the summer. And Adam would be leaving in August if he didn’t get a role in production. Once everyone left, Dave straightened the living room up while Kurt started washing dishes. Dave brought a couple of things in from the living room.

“We’re going to have to figure this out. I mean, _I_ am. I know Sam won’t say anything, but if it had been Mike who had done the same thing, that would have been really bad. You said Tina is a huge gossip and they’re still together. He agreed to not say anything about us living together, but could he keep juicy news like this from her? I don’t know if he could.”

“Me neither. It’s best not to put him in that position. Besides your mom disowning you, what is keeping you from telling your parents?”

“My money for college. I guess I’ve never really talked about it. They started saving when I was eight. They saved up enough to pay to put me through Ohio State. I’ve known for a long time that if I went somewhere else, I’d have to get scholarships or take out loans to cover the rest. The money is only enough to cover half of the tuition at NYU, but I did get some private scholarships and financial aid. I took out a $5,000 loan to cover the rest. I work to cover my living expenses, which you already knew.”

“So, if you could determine that there’s no way for your mother to block you from using you college fund, you’d tell them? Or would you still want to wait?” Kurt finished up the dishes while Dave was still thinking.

“Honestly, I have no hope whatsoever that my mom will accept it. She absolutely sees being anything but straight and abstinent until marriage as a sinful lifestyle choice. And I don’t foresee waiting as improving the odds that her reaction will change. My dad is a wild card. He’s not really religious at all, but he loves my mom. It will put him in a really difficult position. She will mostly likely blame-shift my perversion onto him for not being Godly enough and not making me go to church anymore after I started junior high.”

Kurt dried his hands and turned to face Dave. He wrapped his arms around Dave’s neck and kissed him. “I will be here for you, no matter what you decide.” He pressed in and they kissed passionately until they had to break apart to breathe. “Kissing you is one of my favorite things to do.” He kissed along Dave’s jaw lightly to avoid giving himself sore lips from Dave’s late-evening shadow beard. “I’ll go shower so we can get started on our snuggles.” He pecked Dave on the lips before he flounced out of the room towards the bathroom.

* * *

Kurt opened the apartment door.

“You will _not_ guess who we ran into in the airport in Columbus and ended up on the same flight here as us,” Santana said.

“With that tone of voice, I’d have to guess Mr. Schue or Sebastian. I don’t know anyone else that can bring out that level of animosity. I take that back. It could have been Sue.”

Britt said, “You were right the second time. Santana’s not mad that we saw him. She’s mad because he’s still being nice. He apologized really nicely. She said it gives her the hee-bee-gee-bees.”

Kurt laughed.

“But then they argued about who won their diva off, so they’re frenemies and it’s all good. Don’t tell anyone, but they’re both nice now, just like Dave, but it’s a secret.”

Kurt opened his arms and Brittany stepped into his arms. “I’ve missed you, Britt.”

“Of course you have. I’m awesome.”

“I made a late lunch for you two. I thought you’d be hungry. You can eat while we talk and then we can take you to Mike’s. It’s quite a ways from here.”

They sat down to eat.

“It took you long enough,” Brittany said.

Kurt looked confused. “Took which one of us long enough to do what?”

“Well, you mostly, but him too, but he was faster at it than you.”

Kurt pursed his lips, seriously considering what she had said and came up with nothing. “I’m sorry, Britt. I don’t know what you’re referring to.”

“Falling in love with each other, of course.”

“Hot damn!” Santana smacked her hand on the table. “Deets!”

“It’s been about two months,” Kurt said.

“He took me to a place with an open mic and sang to me.”

“Sounds sappy enough to be true. Go on.”

“He told me he loved me and asked me to be his boyfriend.”

“We can keep a secret,” Santana said.

“They can’t though. That’s how I knew. I can see the love in their eyes.”

“I still haven’t told my parents anything. I’m going to soon though. With as many people from Lima as are migrating here, I want to tell them myself before someone else does.”

“Got it.”

“So, Sebastian?” Kurt asked.

“He’s going to NYU. He wants to talk to you.” She texted Kurt the number. “And before you ask, I don’t know why.”

* * *

As soon as they sat down in their seats, they put their seatbelts on, and Kurt took Dave’s hand and interlaced their fingers. The flight attendant went through the flight safetyspiel and the plane eventually took off. Dave didn’t say anything. Kurt debated whether to let the silence continue or whether to try to distract Dave and settled on distraction, but then Dave started to talk.

“Remember that quote you told me? About being yourself?”

“Mmm hmm.”

“Family breaks that. I desperately want to be myself all the time. I do. And that works in New York. But there are people who matter to me who absolutely will mind. I’m choosing between two things I want and it’s hard. I’m choosing my side because I’ve realized that I matter the most, not in a self-centered arrogant way, but since it’s my life I matter the most. I want more than I can have, but I’m not willing to sacrifice my own happiness for the rest of my life.” He sighed. “Why does this have to be so hard?”

* * *

A lot of people were at the park, grilling out, spending time with family and friends, and enjoying themselves. Dave was dreading the blow out he knew was coming. He met with Kurt at their pre-arranged time and moved his suitcases from his parents’ trunk to Carole’s trunk.

Kurt went back to home to the cookout they were going to have. He took Dave’s suitcases up to his room. When he came back down, he got Burt and Carole to sit in the living room. None of their guests were due for another hour.

“So, there’s a 99% chance that I will be picking Dave up tonight after the fireworks. He’s going to tell his parents.”

“Oh, wow,” Carole said.

“Yeah. I already met him this morning and picked his luggage up. It’s up in my room, where he’ll be staying.”

“Kurt…” Burt started.

“Stop. I’m 20 years old. If you’re still insisting that me acting upon my gayness in your house is ‘inappropriate’, I’ll pick him up and he and I can head to whatever motel room we can find for the night.”

Carole spoke up. “Burt, be reasonable. You know they live together.”

“I thought we were past this.” Kurt stood up, defiantly.“You’re lobbying in Congress for gay rights. Gay rights start at home. Dave is losing his home today. Am I losing mine too? Are Dave and I not welcome to be gay in your house? I just need to know if I need to go pack and find a place to stay for the next couple of days.”

“No. You’re both right. I’m just not used to you being 20. I’ll get my act together.”

* * *

After the fireworks, Kurt drove Carole’s car and parked a block from Dave’s house.

After Dave had dumped out the ice in their cooler and finished unloading everything, he went inside. His mom and dad were in the living room relaxing and watching a movie. He went in and stood for a second before he sat down in the chair.

“I need to talk to the two of you.”

“Sure. What’s up?” Paul asked, as he pressed pause.

“I’m gay.”

“That’s _not_ funny, Son.” his mother scolded.

“I didn’t mean for it to be. It’s the truth. I’m gay. I’m in love with Kurt and we’ve been dating for over three months.”

“Kurt Hummel? That fag you got in trouble for bullying? I’m not listening to this. My son is not gay. I do not have a gay son.”

“You do.”

“I don’t. If you’re going to insist on living in perversion and sin, get out of my house.”

Dave stood.

“Dave, wait,” Paul said. “You’re serious?”

“Absolutely. I’ve been in love with him since – well it doesn’t matter, does it? I love him. He and I live together in New York. I’ll see myself out.” He walked out of the room and texted Kurt.

Paul got up and followed him. “Where are you going?”

“To Kurt’s. He’s waiting for me. I knew Mom would throw me out. If you still want to be a part of my life, you know how to get in touch with me.” He opened the door and Kurt pulled up to the end of the driveway.

Paul put his hand on Dave’s shoulder. “You’re still my son.”

* * *

“The homemade ice cream will be ready by the time we get there. They were going to set up the toppings when they got back from the fireworks.” He reached out and put his hand on Dave’s thigh. “There are no words to make this better. I wish it had gone differently than it did.”

“You and me both. But my dad didn’t disown me, so there’s that.”

“True.”

“Now comes the really hard part.”

“What do you mean?”

“Telling Finn. I knew what to expect at home, but Finn is more of a wild card. I’m just ready to get it over with.”

Kurt pulled into the driveway.

* * *

“What the hell is he doing here?” Finn asked.

“Language, Finn,” Carole chided.

“I’m not 12, don’t ‘language’ me. I’ll say whatever I damn well please. What is he doing here?”

Kurt looked at Dave, who took a deep breath. “Kurt’s my boyfriend. I’m here because I was invited. And I’m staying the weekend.”

“No way! Kurt would never date you. You were awful to him.”

“Are you sure you want to go there, Finn?”

“He threatened to kill you.” He turned to Dave. “Wait, you’re gay?”

“Ding. Ding. Ding. We have a winner.”

“How long have you been gay?”

“Oh, God, not this,” Kurt lamented. “Finn, remember? Born gay?”

He looked confused. “Whatever. When did you know?”

“When the rest of the guys started talking about how amazing boobs were, like 6th grade or something.”

“That’s gross. You’ve like seen me naked.”

“You are definitely not my type,” Dave laughed. “I like smart, sassy guys.”

“How can you forgive him? He was awful.”

“This again? Which part of the pee balloons do you think I enjoyed? The dumpster tosses you participated in? You tried to scare Sam off from singing with me and when that didn’t work, you got me to back out. How many times did you tell me to just stop being such a girl or something similar?”

“That was a long time ago.”

“It was. And I forgave you and Puck. The last mean thing Dave did to me was over two and a half years ago. The last snide remark he made was over two years and it wasn’t much worse than Artie’s comment about my ideas for the guys’ song junior year. And it was in the same league as the effeminophobic remarks Artie made about my _West Side Story_ audition senior year.”

“So you _were_ cheating on Blaine,” he said with a tone of accusation.

“Nope. We started dating a little over three months ago. I had been broken up with Blaine for a year by then.”

The doorbell rang.

“Rachel’s here,” Finn said.

Carole rolled her eyes. “I don’t recall Rachel being mentioned.”

Kurt glared at Finn and spoke with a voice of steel, cold and hard. “Remember why we don’t _out_ people.”

“Right. Got it.” Finn practically flinched, as he moved away from Kurt to open the door.

* * *

Kurt and Dave went back to Callbacks a week and a half after they got back from Lima. Dave used the same line on Kurt about needing to go to the bathroom. Kurt turned as soon as he heard Dave’s voice.

 _ Well, you done done me, and you bet I felt it.   
I tried to be chill, but you’re so hot that I melted.   
I fell right through the cracks.   
And now I’m trying to get back, _   
_ Before the cool done run out.   
I’ll be giving it my best-est.   
And nothing’s going to stop me, no kind of intervention.   
I reckon  that it’s my turn   
To win some, no more losin’. _

_ I won’t hesitate no more, no more.   
It cannot wait, I’m yours. _

_ Well, open up your mind and see like me.   
Open up your mind and damn you’re free.   
Look into your heart and you’ll find love.   
Love, love, love, love.   
Listen to the music of the moment.   
People, dance and sing! _   
_ We’re just one big family.   
And it’s our right to be loved,   
Loved, loved, loved, loved. _

_ I won’t hesitate no more, no more.   
It cannot wait, I’m sure.  
There will be no  more  hesitation.   
Our time is short.   
This is our  life. I’m yours. _

He left the stage and wrapped his arms around Kurt. “I’m yours. All the way. I know it’s taken me four months, but no more hiding from anyone.” He kissed him. “We’re staying to eat this time. Let’s sit back down.” Dave sat down and put his arm around the back of Kurt’s chair and leaned in to look at the menu Kurt was holding.

Kurt turned a smiled at him. “That was amazing, you know. I would have never pushed you, not after that first time at Junior Prom. That was just selfish of me.”

“Ancient history. And I like the present a lot better. And I love you.” He kissed Kurt just under his ear.

Kurt shivered. He turned and kissed Dave. “I love you too.” He scooted even closer into Dave’s side. “Let’s choose. I’m hungry.”


	7. And Then There Were Nine

The following Sunday morning, Dave finally got around to unpacking the two suitcases full of things he grabbed from his house on the Fourth of July. Kurt sat in the center of the bed at the head. Dave pulled out numerous gallon ziptop bags with Legos in them from the first suitcase.

“They were in a box in the bags, so I just started sticking them in the suitcase with some undershirts wrapped around them so they wouldn’t make so much noise.”

Kurt nodded. He pulled all of the bags towards him and picked them up and looked at them. He froze when he saw a figure he recognized in a snack bag inside one of the larger bags. He opened the bag and pulled it out.

Dave’s eyes flashed panic when he saw what Kurt had found. “When I took it that day, I couldn’t bring myself to throw it out, but I also couldn’t bring myself to give it back. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want my mom to find it, so I put it in the small bag and put it in one of the Lego bags. I hadn’t thought about that in a long time. I didn’t even know why you had it at the time. It was in your hand and I was just being a jackass. You could have been holding a CD or anything. By the time I heard that your dad and Finn’s mom had gotten married, it was too late to give it back. I just didn’t ever bother to open the box up and do anything about it.”

“It didn’t mean anything to me. It’s not actually a cake topper. It was a keychain. It had the name of the cake company printed on the back of it and a keyring, but I took that part off. If it had been an heirloom or something important to me, I would have demanded it back that day we were in Coach Sue’s office.”

“I always felt terrible for possibly messing something up for their wedding and now you tell me it was a novelty advertising keychain?” Dave just shook his head and laughed at himself. “I can’t believe that. I beat myself up for nothing.”

“You did, but you’re being nicer to yourself now. What are you going to do with all of these Legos?”

“I’d like to get something decent to store them in and keep them. One day when I have a kid, I’ll give them to them to play with.”

“Well, we can go to the Container Store and get an underbed box.” Kurt chuckled as he saw Dave open the second suitcase, which had even more bags of Legos in it. “Or maybe two.”

Dave continued to empty out both suitcases. He had a small stack of books that he put on the dresser. He put a small stuffed teddy bear along with what looked like a baby blanket next to them. He pulled out a hockey and football jersey and laid them on the bed. He put a photo album next to the books. He pulled out a small stack of CDs and a few DVDs and a small shoebox.

“I went around the house again and found a few things I had missed when we came. I also pulled out the storage box my mom kept my baby stuff in and I took my baby blanket, my teddy, and my baby book out of it. And I took the outfit she brought me home in and a few toys she kept. I don’t know how seriously she will take that she doesn’t have a gay son. I didn’t want those things thrown out, so I grabbed them. I also grabbed the photo album that she kept of my school pictures in. She took one of me on the first and last day of school each year and put it on a page with my official school picture. She wrote my favorite book, movie, food, and my height on each page. She kept it doing it all the way through my senior year. That’s why this is so hard. She really cared about me. If you overlook her prejudices, she was a really great mom and that makes losing her really hard. I’ve seen what the people in her church do. Quinn’s family went to the same church until all that stuff went down. I don’t know the details, but I’m sure you do. My mom just said that Quinn’s mom hadn’t fulfilled her duty to her family. I know they don’t go to church there anymore.”

“What a load of… Mr. Fabray had an affair and kicked Quinn out when he found out she was pregnant. She lived with Finn, then Puck, and then Mercedes sophomore year. Mrs. Fabray seemed to finally get a clue and showed up to Regionals. She went with Quinn when she had the baby that day and Quinn moved back home. But I get what you mean. People who would kick their 15-year-old pregnant daughter out would be the type to just get rid of their kid’s baby box and photos. I’m glad you thought to look for them. We can get two underbed boxes and slide them up under the head of the bed and still put our shoes back under the bed.” Kurt moved the bags of Legos to one side and patted the bed.

Dave sat down and faced him. “I’m going to be okay. It’s not like I didn’t know this was coming. I’ve been preparing for it for a couple of years now. It’s just taken me a long time to get to the point where I’m okay with who I am.”

“And you are now. You got up and serenaded me in public. That takes guts for someone who’s not a seasoned performer. And you sounded so good and you made me feel so special.” Kurt pushed up onto his knees slightly so he could lean forward and kiss Dave. “Let’s go get our shopping done, now that I see what will work.”

* * *

“Hey, Isabelle?” Kurt knocked on her open office door.

“Yes, Kurt?”

“There’s a rack of clothes in the hall by my office, but I don’t know what you want me to do with it.”

“They need sorted by designer so we can send them back.”

“Is there something wrong with them?”

“I found them when scouring the vault. They’re from past seasons and they were all altered in some way to fit the model that wore them. The labels don’t like ‘imperfect’ pieces to be donated anywhere. And no one around here wanted them, so they need to get sent back.”

“So, in theory, I could have them?”

“I suppose so. It really makes no difference to me where they go, but to take them, you’ll have to remove all of the designer labels. If you want to stay late tonight, you can do that after you get off.”

“Thank you!” Kurt practically squealed.

“You’re welcome. If you make something new out of any of it, you have to show me photos.”

“Deal.”

* * *

“Do we really have to do this?” Dave asked.

“We do. We definitely do. It’s the middle of August. There’s no time left to procrastinate. You got away with it all last year, but you’ve slimmed down and toned up from working at the gym for the past year. Your clothes were already baggy and ill-fitting. And some of them you’ve been wearing since you were 14.”

“Okay. You’ve made your point. I need some new clothes.”

“And you’re in luck because I am going to be your personal shopping guide. I have already scoped out all of the local second-hand and resale shops, so you’ll have the best selection at the best prices.”

Dave grabbed him and wrapped his arms around him and kissed him soundly. “I have the sexiest personal shopping guide ever. I’ll stop whining. Let’s go.” He kissed him again. “I just realized one upside to being gay.”

“What’s that?”

“I can drag you in the dressing room with me and make out with you as a reward for playing living mannequin with you.” He let go of Kurt and hurried towards the door.

Kurt sped past him and put his hand on the doorknob to keep it from being opened. He turned to face Dave.“Kissing in the dressing rooms is a double-sided payoff, you know? I get to see you modeling for me _and_ you’re going to kiss me. Win-win for me.” He turned the knob and flounced towards the stairs with a huge smile on his face.“Don’t forget the clothes we’re taking to try to sell.”

* * *

“Okay, I think I have everything ready. I hope I do anyway. Everyone will start to arrive any time.” Kurt looked through his rack one last time. “Brittany, Santana, Mercedes, Tina, Rachel, Sam, Mike, and Artie. We’re already dressed. Puck, Finn, and Quinn are the only ones that aren’t coming, but Finn knows already and he probably told Puck and told Puck not to tell. As far as I can tell, he managed to keep it from Rachel. I’m not really sure I want her here, but you insisted. And Quinn’s classes started this past week, so she couldn’t come. She loves it there, though, which is great. I’m sure it won’t take long for someone to tell her after tonight.”

“I’m going to tell Azimio tonight too, but I figure it will go about as well as telling my mom. He won’t talk to me anymore. I insisted on Rachel coming because she lives here and we’re bound to run into her at some point. Plus, if we invited everyone but her, she’d make a big deal out of it.”

“That’s true. So, are you sure you want to do this? We can still all go out to the club as a ‘Back to School/Welcome to New York’ celebration.”

“Nope. No more hiding. I want to walk around everywhere being myself. No more looking over my shoulder. Once they all know, the news will spread around back in Lima and it will be over with.”

Their first guests began knocking on the door.

“Show time!” Kurt said. He kissed Dave as he walked past. He opened the door and let all of the girls in. Obviously, they had met up somewhere and come with Santana since she knew the way. “Come in, ladies. Your outfits are in the living room. We’ll step out of the room so you can change.” He laid out each outfit.

“Oh, my God, these are gorgeous, Kurt,” Tina said.

“I’m glad you approve. They’re the tangible remnant of my fantastic summer working as an intern at _Vogue_. Get dressed. I want to see you in them. And I was told I had to get photos, so there will be modeling involved.”

He and Dave stepped out and let them get dressed. The three guys arrived about ten minutes later. “Come on in, but turn and walk sideways to follow us. Artie, just close your eyes. The girls are dressing in the living room.”

He led the guys down to the kitchen and showed them the shirts and ties he had for them. They all came wearing black slacks at his request.

* * *

An hour later, they had all made it to the club. Once they were inside, they found a big booth to use as a base for the evening. 

Dave was preoccupied with his thoughts. He pulled his phone out and texted Azimio. 

His reply was, “Lose my number.”

Kurt overheard Mercedes telling everyone that didn’t already know about her record label sending her out to New York for a few months to work on the last of her songs for her CD.

Rachel was bragging to everyone about getting Fanny, despite the fact that everyone already knew, but Kurt couldn’t blame her for her excitement. It was her dream role after all.

Tina and Mike talked about how excited they were to finally be living together, even if it was in a shoebox.

Santana talked about the flat they had found about six blocks from the dance school Brittany had gotten a job at and was just a 20-minute commute to her new school.

Artie was excited to start classes.

Santana and Brittany were the first to head to the dance floor. Sam asked Mercedes and she took his hand and followed him. Mike took Tina’s hand. The others sat around for a while still talking.

After a few songs, Dave put his hand on Kurt’s leg under the table and squeezed gently. Kurt looked at him and nodded just slightly. Dave stood and offered Kurt his hand. Kurt smiled and took it. By the time, they got to the floor, the song changed to a slower song, the one Dave had requested. Kurt had heard the song before, but didn’t know all of the words. Parts of the lyrics bored into Kurt’s mind as he leaned in close and danced in the arms of the man he loved, who had bravely chosen this song to be their coming out dance.

_ The strands in your eyes that color them wonderful   
Stop me and steal my breath. _

_ Tell me that we belong together.   
Dress it up with the trappings of love.   
I’ll be captivated. I’ll hang from your lips.   
Instead of the gallows of heartache  that hang from above. _

_ As we lie awake in my bed   
You ’re my survival.   
You’re my living proof.   
My love is alive and not dead. _

_ And I’ve dropped out, burned up,    
Fought my way back from the dead.   
Turned in, turned on,    
Remembered the thing you said. _

_I’ll be the greatest fan of your life._

When the song was nearly over, Dave stepped back just enough that Kurt looked at him. When he did, Dave kissed him gently. He moved just enough that he could speak into Kurt’s ear. “I love you. I know you think that I’m the one being brave tonight, but so are you. You’re willing to stand up and boldly be with me, knowing that at least a few people with us will be angry with you and you’re risking losing friendships over being with me.”

Kurt kissed him on the neck, just below his ear. “I love you too. Let’s go back and sit down.” He slipped his hands down Dave’s arms and took his hand and interlaced their fingers.

It didn’t take long for everyone in their group to be back at the table. The ones who hadn’t see it personally had been texted photos by the ones who had.

Rachel was the first to speak. “You _were_ cheating on Blaine.”

“I was not. Dave and I started dating five months ago, not a year and five months ago. We were friends back then. That’s it.”

No one said anything for a few minutes, and then Tina broke the silence. “Santana figured it out. She figured out that you were gay and she blackmailed you. You bullied Kurt because he knew somehow too. What were you so afraid of that you caved to Santana’s threat?”

“My mom would have sent me to conversion therapy. I told her when we were in town for the Fourth of July and she disowned me. I’m dead to her now – to her and her family. Azimio told me to lose his number. We’ve been friends since we started Kindergarten. Thirteen years of friendship, just gone.”

“That sucks about Azimio, dude. And your family? That’s just all kinds of wrong.” Sam said.

“It is what is it and I’ve known it would be that way from the first time I realized that I didn’t like girls like I was supposed to. So, now you all know. I’m gay. I love Kurt. He loves me. We’re happy together. If you can be supportive, we’d love to have your in our crazy-busy lives. If not, then I guess we won’t see much of you.” Dave offered his hand to Kurt and they went back out on the dance floor together.

“Perfect song,” Kurt said, as “It’s My Life” began to play.

_ I just want to live while I’m alive. _


	8. Sweet Dreams Can’t Beat This

“Well, well, well,” Sebastian said. He looked as shocked as he sounded when they got close enough for him to see that the two of them were holding hands. “I take it that you’re out now.”

“I am.” Dave smiled and squeezed Kurt’s hand. “We got together this past weekend with everyone that’s here from Lima and now everyone knows. They were pretty cool about it, considering.”

Kurt said, “Other than Santana, Brittany, and Sam, I don’t really foresee us spending much time with the others anyway. The rest of them live about 45 minutes to an hour away, except Artie. And he and I have never been close.”

“I just wanted it out in the open because different people knew varying amounts of the whole truth. It’s easier with everyone knowing. We can just be ourselves all the time.”

Sebastian smiled. “I can’t even begin to imagine living closeted for so long. I’m glad for you.”

“Thanks.”

Sebastian opened the door and let the other two into the smoothie shop. “So, are we on for game night on Friday still? You are so going down this time, Kurt.”

“Bring it, but that’s not happening. You’re all talk with not enough skills to back it up.”

Sebastian laughed.

“I still can’t believe that you ended up answering Elliott’s ‘Roommate Wanted’ ad on that NYU-Tandon housing page on Facebook. And now we’re friends. What HAS the world come to?”

Dave piped up. “Sebastian got his head out of his, well, he’s a much nicer person now. Sarcastic as hell, but funny instead of mean.”

“Hey, you outgrew your Neanderthal stage, as Santana said you used to be called. At least he called me cute things. Meerkats are adorable and chipmunks are cute.”

“I’m assuming Santana told you about the ‘criminal chipmunk’ comment.”

“I laughed so hard. Oh, my God. She told me some of her names for you. I was fond of Prancy Smurf.”

Kurt rolled his eyes. “At least she called me a Smurf and not Smurfette. She loved to call me girly names.”

“And yet, she lived.”

“You and Dave are the only two that ever had the guts to slushie her.”

“I also heard that Dave can sing. Maybe we should knock everyone’s socks off at that open mic place in Midtown that Rachel frequents.”

Kurt about choked laughing. “We should. We so should.”

They stopped talking long enough to look through the menu board.

* * *

Using his best emcee introduction voice, Kurt said, “So, for our September Second Sunday Disney Night of the Month that’s really the third Sunday this time… “

Dave chuckled.

“Our Disney animated movie number 20 will be…” Kurt ran his finger along the row of DVDs with his eyes closed. He stopped and opened them. “ _Beauty and the Beast_.” He pulled it off the shelf and put it in the DVD player. He grabbed the remote and plopped down on the sofa next to Dave. “I still can’t believe you weren’t allowed to watch Disney movies when you were a kid. Oh, well, we’re watching them now. I only have about four or five left that we haven’t watched. I’ll get them from the library after that. We’ll watch one each week over winter break again instead of just one a month.”

Dave repositioned himself and made room for Kurt to sit between his legs. Kurt saw what he was doing and moved. He leaned back against Dave’s chest.

“This is cozy. Are you ready?” He leaned to the side and tipped his head up offering Dave a kiss, which he accepted. Kurt pressed play.

_There must be something there that wasn’t there before._

Kurt could feel Dave begin to cry as the song came to an end. He squeezed Dave’s hand, but didn’t stop the movie. Once the beast had returned to his human form, Dave’s tears fell faster. He let go of Kurt’s hands to wipe his eyes, but he didn’t say anything. After it was over, Kurt repositioned himself and lay on his side up against Dave’s chest so he could wrap his arms around Dave’s neck. Kurt ran his fingers along his jaw and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

“That’s us,” Dave finally said. “I was the beast.”

“Not anymore. You’re my handsome prince. You care about me. You’re kind, gentle, generous, and loving.”

He kissed Kurt and ran his hand along Kurt’s back. “The more time we spend together, the more good memories I have to push the old ones away.”

“Then we’ll just have to make so many good ones that there won’t be any room for any others.” He moved again and straddled Dave’s lap and kissed him. He ran his hands through the back of Dave’s hair. “I like your hair longer like this because I like running my fingers through it.”

“Mmm. Me too. I’m not getting it buzzed off ever again.”

Kurt pressed in, moving the kissing to making out. He slowed the kissing back down. “I have a really great idea. Come on.” He got up and pulled Dave to standing.

* * *

“What are we doing in the bathroom? I thought you wanted to go make out in our bed.”

“Mmm. Close, but no. I want to make out in the shower.”

Dave was stunned silent.

“If you don’t want to, we can go in our room instead.”

“Want to? Of course, I want to. But…”

“But what? We can wait, if you want. It won’t change how I feel about you if we do or don’t.”

Dave’s posture relayed his fear of rejection more than any words could come close to doing.

Kurt reached behind him and pushed the door shut. He backed Dave into the door. Kurt was only a couple of inches shorter than him and although he was smaller built overall, his stage combat training had given him a much more muscular physique than he had in high school. Kurt put his hands on Dave’s shoulders and pushed firmly, but still gently, until Dave was pinned to the door. “David, look at me, please.”

Dave met his eyes. “You have amazingly expressive, gorgeous hazel eyes. And when you look at me, I feel like you can see right into my thoughts. I think you are extremely attractive and very, very hot. There is nothing about you that I find undesirable. If you don’t feel comfortable taking this step with me, I am fine with that. But if you are hesitant because you think I’m going to see something I won’t like, I’m 99% sure you’re wrong about that.”

Dave smarted back, “What’s the 1%?”

“That you have a really big tattoo that freaks me out, like a scary vampire or demon face or something.”

Dave started cracking up. “Only you.”

“That’s exactly right. Only me who loves only you. I’ve never done this. You’ve never done this. We can be mortified together. I’m as self-conscious as you. I feel like a pale, scrawny teenager still and you’re all man.” Kurt leaned in and kissed him. “So, what will it be? Bed or shower?” He pressed in and they kissed until they were breathless.

“Shower.”

Kurt stepped back and pulled his t-shirt off over his head and dropped it on the floor. He stepped right back to where he had been and kissed Dave. “Still good?”

Dave nodded, eyes wide.

“You can touch me.”

Dave reached out and put his hands on Kurt’s lower back and pulled him flush against him. “You are gorgeous.” He kissed Kurt. “I don’t look a thing like you.”

“That’s good because I’m not really into that whole dating my clone thing.”

Dave laughed.

Kurt stepped back again and grabbed a washcloth. He slipped of his shorts and boxer briefs and got in the shower. “Feel free to join me.” He turned the water on and let it warm up before pulling the lever for the sprayer. He stepped under it and stood for a second getting his hair wet. He reached for his shampoo and found Dave’s hand on it.

“Here, let me.” Dave put some shampoo in his hand and lathered Kurt’s hair. He was certain that he heard faint moaning. He smiled. “You’re even more gorgeous than I had imagined. So beautiful.”

Kurt stepped under the sprayer and rinsed his hair. He immediately turned and faced Dave and wrapped his arms around his neck and pulled him into a passionate kiss. “That was the hottest thing. You can wash my hair any time you want. I want to do yours, please?” He turned enough to grab the sprayer so he could get Dave wet.

“Yes.” He took the sprayer after he was wet and held it between them so Kurt could do his hair.

It didn’t take long for them to begin exploring and touching after that, which led to them finding a new use for Kurt’s body wash.

* * *

“So, this year’s Halloween isn’t a masquerade, but it’s still a costume party, and there’s a theme – famous movie couples. Since it’s the first of October, the posters went up today.”

“Okay.”

“So, ideas?”

“That’s your department,” Dave teased. He wrapped his arms around Kurt and kissed the back of his neck while he washed the dishes. “I’m far from the movie expert and I’m pretty sure that there aren’t a lot of famous gay couples in movies anyway.”

“That’s true, but we can pick anyone. I can adapt the woman’s costume so that it’s still recognizable, but definitely designed for a man.”

Dave leaned in and continued to place small kisses all along the back of Kurt’s neck and shoulders. “Actually, I just thought of one. It didn’t say ‘romantic’ couples, right?”

“Technically no.”

“Sherlock Holmes and Watson. You can be Sherlock.”

“That’s perfect. I’ll just need to get a deerstalker cap.” He dried his hands and turned to face Dave. He kissed him gently. “Plus, you’d be surprised how many Johnlock shippers there are.”

“Oh, really?”

“Mmm hmm.”

* * *

Kurt came back into the gymnasium and heard the instrumental song that was playing fade out before the endof the song and a new song begin to play. He looked around for Dave, but didn’t see him near where they had been before he went to the restroom. He stepped a bit farther into the room to look for him, but then he heard his voice. He moved closer and closer to the stage through the crowd of people slow dancing while Dave sang.

_ And I feel all he faint morning light,   
Filled with hope ’cause you’re here in my life.   
And we’ve gone from the edge of our  souls,   
Made it back to a place we call home. _

_ You see me through.   
I was alone in the dark,   
And the fear was my truth. _

_ Yeah, all the things that you are,   
Beautifully broken, alive in my heart.   
And know, that you are everything.   
Let your heart sing and tonight,   
We ’ll light up the stars.   
All that you are. _

_ I feel wrong. I’m so human and flawed.   
I’ll break down even though I’m still strong.   
And time will make fools of all of us.   
Builds  us up and then laughs when we fall. _

_ You’re the sound of redemption,   
The faith that I’d lost.   
The answer I’m seeking no matter the cost.   
You opened the window.   
Now, I can see and you taught me forgiveness,   
By giving your love back to me. _

_ And know that you are everything.   
Let your heart sing and tonight…   
We’ll light up the stars. _

_ There’s hope   
‘Cause you’re here in my life. _

Dave came down the steps and Kurt launched himself into Dave’s arms. Dave chuckled. He wrapped his arms around Kurt and held him close.

Kurt spoke directly into his ear, “That was beautiful, David. Thank you.” He wrapped his arms around Dave’s neck and started slow dancing to the instrumental music that was playing. “This is so much better than dancing with you at Junior Prom would have been. You know why?”

Dave shook his head.

“Because you want to dance with me. You’re enjoying this as much as I am. That makes this a million times better.” Kurt started kissing down Dave’s neck.

Dave shivered slightly. When the song ended, he loosened his hold on Kurt enough to be able to kiss him.

* * *

“You’re awfully smiley,” Kurt said as they were walking down the sidewalk, almost home from the dance.

“What’s there not to be smiling about? I just went to my very first dance with someone who loves me. And it was amazing.”

“It really was a lot of fun. Last year I had a good time, but this year was better because we went together as a couple. And I do love you. You’re definitely right about that.” Kurt squeezed his hand.

Dave started kissing the back of Kurt’s neck while he was fiddling with getting their door unlocked one-handed because he had the deerstalker cap in the other. And on top of that Dave was distracting him by reaching around him and starting to unbutton his shirt. Kurt refocused and finally got the door open. Dave didn’t let go once they were inside. He leaned back against the door and pulled Kurt to his chest and continued to unbutton his shirt and kiss his neck. Once he got the buttons undone, he ran his hands along Kurt’s chest.

Kurt could feel his hands shaking a bit. He leaned back into Dave more and wrapped his free hand up behind Dave’s neck and leaned to the side and kissed him. “You’re nervous.”

“Mmm hmm. I want you so bad. God, you drive me crazy with want. You have for so long.”

“I’m not quite following. You have me. All of me.”

“Can we shower first and then talk more? I want to be more comfortable.”

“Of course.”

* * *

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yeah,” Kurt said. He moved from snuggling Dave to straddling his lap. “I definitely want to.” He ran his hands from Dave’s shoulders down his arms. “I have for a while. I just didn’t want to push you.” He moved his hands to Dave’s chest and carded his fingers through Dave’s chest hair. “You’ve been slowly moving all of the things you’ve wanted but were told were wrong into a new file of things you want and can definitely have and enjoy – like me.” He leaned down kissed Dave and then starting trailing kisses along his jaw, down his neck, and down to his chest. “You can definitely have me and enjoy every minute of it.”

Dave ran his fingers through Kurt’s hair, guiding him back up to kiss him. “You’re something.”

“Mmm hmm. And you’re hot.” Kurt pressed in and they got caught up in kissing until they had to catch their breath. “If you’re sure this is what you want, I’m all for it.”

Dave reached out and opened his side table drawer and pulled out a small bag and pulled out what they needed and handed it to Kurt. “I love you and I want to do this with you. It’s always been you.” He put he sack back on the side table.

Kurt nodded and laid the items next to him on the bed. He leaned forward and resumed kissing along Dave’s chest. “I love you.”

* * *

Dave wrapped his arms around Kurt and held him close. “That was amazing. We are definitely doing that again. I had dreamed of this for so long.”

“Mmm. Definitely amazing. You’ll have to tell me about these dreams sometime.” Kurt ran his fingertips down Dave’s upper arm, causing him to shiver just a bit.

He kissed Kurt on the top of his head. “Nah, the real thing is _so_ much better.”


	9. Love, Steadfast and True

Kurt looked up from his laptop and to his right, where Dave was sitting at his desk. “How does two weeks in DC ending with celebrating Christmas on the 28th with my parents before we come back home on the 30th sound to you?”

“Seriously?”

“Absolutely. My dad will be back in Ohio those two weeks and we can stay in his apartment. He and Carole will be flying in on the 27th in the late afternoon or evening. We can make a big dinner and have it ready when they get in.”

“Sounds like fun. Unlike here, all of the museums and stuff are free. It might even be warm enough to go to the zoo one day.”

“I’ll email him back and let him know.”

* * *

Since they were saving up to spend most of winter break in DC, they opted to not go back to Lima for Thanksgiving. They hosted a Friendsgiving potluck mid-afternoon meal at their place. Sam, Elliott, and Adam came, as well as a few people that they went to school with. Isabelle and a few of her friends stopped by as well. By early evening, everyone had left. Dave and Kurt washed the dishes and got everything put back away. They had enough leftovers to eat for a couple of days.

Once everything was done, they settled on the sofa, the room softly lit by the glow of a few candles and filled with the sound of soft jazz. Kurt snuggled into Dave’s chest and relaxed.

“That was fun.”

“It was. A couple more weeks and we’ll be off to DC. I’m excited about that.”

“Me too. We can work on our itinerary this weekend. Any black Friday shopping on your agenda for tomorrow?”

“Actually, yes.”

“Oh, really?”

“Mmm hmm. But you can’t come. We can have lunch together back here at home. And then we can snuggle all afternoon.”

“You’re just trying to distract me with the promises of snuggles.”

“Is it working?” Dave kissed the top of his head.

“Not really. I’m really curious. But I still want the all-afternoon snuggles.”

Dave chuckled. “Of course you do. You’re a snuggle-aholic.”

“Because you’re so snuggle-able.”

Dave smiled and relaxed knowing exactly what he was thankful for.

* * *

About 7:00 on Christmas evening, there was a knock on the door. Kurt got up and looked through the peephole before he opened the door. Dave looked towards the door, surprised that Kurt had opened it.

“Dad?” Dave was shocked to see Paul stepping into the apartment. He got up to greet him.

Paul hugged him when he got close enough.

“Surprise!” Kurt said.

“You said we’d exchange gifts this evening. You’re sneaky.”

“A well-established fact.” Kurt winked at him. He turned back to Paul. “Here, let me take your coat.” Kurt took it and hung it in the small coat closet. He also took his carry-on suitcase to the bedroom. When he came back out, he had his headphones and his iPod. “I’ll put these in and you two can have some privacy while I get dinner on the table.” He put them in and got busy making the salad they had planned for. The lasagna was already in the oven and had 30 minutes left to cook.

Dave and Paul sat down on the sofa.

“I’m really glad to see you, Dad.”

“Me too. It’s been a rough time since you were home in July. I haven’t told you most of it because I didn’t want you to blame yourself in any way. I tried to work things out with your mom. I explained to her that I can love both of you – the same thing I told you. I went marriage counseling with her for several months. Unfortunately, she would only agree to see one of the counselors that her church recommended. I went in an effort to work through things. I didn’t want to lose either one of you. In the end, there was no possible mutually agreeable resolution because the only solution she would agree to was for me to disown you as well.”

Dave wiped a few tears from his eyes.

“I know that you didn’t cause this, Dave. I started doing some research and found a PFLAG group in Toledo. I hadn’t heard of it before, but the website looked promising, so I went to a meeting and I found a counselor that helps with family issues and went to see him as well. He was actually really helpful. Of course, your mom didn’t want to hear anything about what I learned. She was steadfast that I was wrong. In her mind, homosexuality is a sin. End of discussion. She didn’t listen when I told her that conversion therapy was abusive. She didn’t listen period. We ended up at an impasse. I went up to your room to think one evening and saw that you had taken everything that you loved with you already. I went ahead and boxed everything else up and donated what I could. I looked through your baby box. I’m hoping that you took the items that were missing.”

“I did. I have everything in New York that I wanted.”

Paul nodded and went on. “I asked her to sign dissolution papers and drew up an equitable division of our assets. We put the house up for sale. I bought a small 2-bedroom place with a nice covered back porch and a decent fenced-in yard closer to the firm. I kept your bedroom suite, the bedroom suite from out guest room, and the furniture in the den. Your mom kept the rest. Carole went shopping with me to help me equip the kitchen. I also signed up for some basic cooking lessons. Go ahead and laugh. It’s fine.”

Dave was smiling, but not laughing. “No, I think it’s great. Kurt’s already taught me how to cook too. So, you’ve already moved into the new place?”

“I did, about two months ago. But it’s only been the last few weeks that it’s looked good. I had a contractor come in and redo some things and I worked on it myself on the weekends. It was an older house, but in good structural condition. It had upgraded electricity, a new electric heat pump and A/C, and a new roof already. I had a second bathroom put in, updated the original one, and I redid the kitchen. It was from the ‘60s. I had the hardwood floors refinished and the kitchen floor tiled. I did the painting and the lower cabinetry installation myself. The place looks great now. And you and Kurt are welcome to come visit any time and stay together in the guest room. I’m not going to treat you two like children. You’ve lived together for a year and a half now.”

“Thanks. I appreciate that. It’s weird to think that we’re both 20.”

Paul rolled his eyes. “ _You_ think it’s weird. What about me?” Paul teased. “I’m old enough to have a 20-year-old son.”

Dave chuckled, but then he became more somber. “I’m sorry about you and Mom.”

“I don’t blame you and I don’t want you to blame yourself. She made a choice. I did what she asked by going to the counseling, but I’m not willing to disown you. She can choose that for herself, and she did. And in so doing, she chose to dissolve our marriage. Enough of that. I’ve come to have fun in DC with the two of you. At least, that was what I was promised.” He looked over at Kurt.

“He amazing, you know. I’m a lucky man.”

“He’s something. That’s for sure.”

“This was his idea, wasn’t it?”

“He gave me a combination a pep talk and a kick in the butt.”

“That’s one of his specialties,” Dave chuckled. “I’m glad you came. How long are you staying?”

“Until Friday night. Burt and Carole are flying in then.”

Dave glanced over at Kurt again and smiled.

“I needed that kick in the butt. I’ve got my head on straight again now, though. I do want to be a part of your life. I know that I hadn’t been doing a good job of it before this summer or you would have felt like you could have come to me long before then. After sitting through that nonsense with her church-recommended counselor, I understand why you didn’t want anyone to know until you were 18. But you waited over a year and a half to tell me, even after you knew she couldn’t send you to one of those places. I know it will take time and it will be harder because we live so far apart now, but I’m going to do a better job.”

“The fact that you’re going to try means a lot. I know how hard it is to change.”

Paul and Dave talked until they saw Kurt staring to put dinner on the table.

* * *

Kurt opened the door to the apartment very quietly the next morning on his way back in. He put his purchases on the kitchen table as quietly as possible as well. He hung his coat up, took his boots off, and climbed into bed next to Dave.

He kissed him sweetly. “Hey, sweetie. Wake up. I have a surprise.”

“Another one?”

“Mmm hmm. Sit up.”

Dave rubbed his eyes and stretched before he sat up. Kurt scooted of the bed and stood by the table.

“I went out and got us a tiny tree and some miniature ornaments to decorate it with. Come help me decorate.”

Dave got up and they unpacked everything. Kurt chose some Christmas music on his phone and played it quietly while they decorated the tree, which involved as much kissing and touching as decorating. When they finished, they moved it to the end of the table that was against the wall, and Kurt plugged it in.

“I like it,” Kurt said.

“Me too.” He wrapped his arms around Kurt from behind. “This was a fun surprise. What are we doing with the cookie cutters?”

“Make gingerbread cookies. Why don’t you get dressed while I put the put the sofa bed back to being a sofa? We can make breakfast, and then start on the gingerbread cookies after we eat.”

By the time breakfast was nearly done, the smell of turkey sausage had made its way into the bedroom and enticed Paul out to the main area.

“That smells great.”

“You’re just in time to eat,” Kurt said. “Grab a plate and help yourself.”

He filled his plate and sat down. He ate a few bites. “It tastes a good as it smells. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Dave said. “I told you Kurt taught me to cook.”

“So he did. And he did a good job.”

Once they finished eating, Paul showered. When he came back out, Kurt and Dave had everything set up to start making the cookies. They put Paul to work cutting the shapes out. After an hour or so, they had several dozen gingerbread cookies ready to decorate that evening. They put them in storage containers after eating one undecorated one each. They grabbed their coats and headed down to the Mall to visit the National Air and Space Museum for the day.

* * *

Dave and Paul spent the day at the Museum of American History on Friday. Kurt went shopping after they left and took a taxi back with everything for a huge family meal for dinner. He spent the afternoon preparing everything. 

Dave and Paul returned not long after Burt and Carole had arrived. Carole and Dave helped Kurt get everything set up as a buffet. The five of them filled their plates and sat around the small table together. 

After they finished eating, Kurt packed a few of the decorated gingerbread men for Paul to take with him. Dave walked with Paul down to meet the taxi.

“I’m really glad you came,” Dave said.

“Me too. I’m glad you found someone and you’re happy.”

“I am happy.” He hugged Paul before he got in the backseat. He waved as he rode off.

* * *

Saturday morning, Kurt and Dave got up and made a nice breakfast for Burt and Carole like they had for Paul. Burt’s nose led him out as well. Carole wasn’t far behind.

“You didn’t have to cook for us,” she said.

“We wanted to. Help yourselves.” Kurt handed each of them a plate.

They served themselves and sat down.

“Thanks for decorating,” Burt said. “It’s a nice little tree. I can keep it in the bedroom closet for next year.”

“The box is under the bed right now.”

“That works even better,” he said. “Finn said to say he was sorry for not coming with us. Lindsay ended up inviting him to her grandparents’ cabin for a few days. He’s still coming on Monday and bringing her with him. Hopefully, the next time we get together, it can be all of us.”

Carole added, “You’ll like Lindsay. She’s funny and not at all the girls he liked in high school. She’s pretty low-maintenance and she likes a lot of the things Finn does, including sports.”

“Good for him,” Kurt said. “He deserves someone who treats him decently and not like his value is tied to his social status.”

Once everyone had finished, Dave and Kurt cleaned up while Burt and Carole took showers and got ready.

They spent the majority of the afternoon at the International Spy Museum. When they got home, Kurt insisted that they exchange their presents. Dave and Kurt had found all four Pierce Brosnan 007 movies, which Kurt Burt and Carole were excited about when they opened them.

Dave opened his gift next.

“Kurt said you didn’t have one yet,” Carole said.

He put the deep purple NYU Mechanical Engineering hoodie on over his henley. “I don’t. This is really nice. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. That just leaves you, Kurt.”

Kurt tore the paper off the box in front of him. “No way. _No way_! It’s an embroidery sewing machine. And it has the USB port so I can embroider my own designs. This is too much.” Kurt looked at the three of them.

“That’s where I went on Black Friday. For the first hour of the sale, the JoAnn coupon was good on sewing machines, even the ones that were already on sale.”

“It’s perfect. Oh, my God. I’ve wanted one of these for ages. Thank you.” He got up and hugged each one of them. “I’m going to have so much fun with this. You have no idea. I can make so many custom things to sell. People love to have names embroidered on things. Like I could embroider your name on your hoodie somewhere. That way you could tell it apart from anyone else’s.”

“Sure. I’d like that. You could embroider my name on my work shirts and I wouldn’t have to wear that stupid annoying name tag.”

“Done!” Kurt was bouncing around. “This is going to be so much fun.”

“Well, I’m glad you like it so much,” Burt said. “Shall we watch James Bond?”

“Definitely,” Kurt said.

* * *

On their way to DC, Kurt and Dave had left directly after work, driving the whole way in the dark, so when they left early Monday morning, they took the scenic way back home to enjoy their trip back. They drove from DC to Philadelphia and then to Atlantic City. After walking along the Boardwalk, they ate lunch at a seafood place with good reviews.

When they left, they drove along the New Jersey coastline. They stopped several times to pull off the highway and see a few places and to enjoy the ocean views. They took selfies and pictures of each other. In between their stops they sang along to CDs Kurt brought with them. He put in the Everly Brothers CD in. Both of them sang along.

_ True  Love, I’m glad that I found you.   
True Love, I needed you so,   
Needed you so.   
True  Love, with my arms around you,   
Our  true  love will mellow and grow,   
Mellow and grow. _

_Never. I never will leave you.  
Forever. I’ll call you my own,  
Call you my own.  
No new love could cause me to leave you.  
Cause, True Love, I’m your Love alone,  
You’re mine alone._

_ Well, Baby, you’re great. Baby, you’re keen,   
And Baby, all of my friends are just about green   
With envy.   
If ever there was a love that naturally makes   
A dream come true,   
Baby, it’s you. _

_ Yes, it’s you, Love - for me forever.   
I’m through, Love, with dreamin’ alone,   
Dreamin’ alone.   
Woah, True  Love, I know there was never   
A true love as sweet as our own. _

When the song finished, Kurt paused the CD. “Let’s get Sam and Elliott to play for us and we’ll update the sound a bit and sing that the next time we go out to open mic night.”

Dave reached over and took Kurt’s hand. “Sure. Anything you want. You know that.”

“You’re a softie.”

“For you, always.”


	10. Will You? I Will. We Do.

2016

“Are you ready to get up and go out for our before-breakfast walk on the beach?” Kurt asked as he repositioned himself to get more comfortable straddling Dave. He ran his hands down Dave’s arms and back up, stopping with his hands on Dave’s shoulders. “It’s our first morning here. I want to go watch the sunrise.” Kurt leaned down and kissed him.

Dave put his hands on Kurt’s waist. “Yes and no. Yes, I most definitely want to go with you for a walk on the beach. No, I don’t want to because I like lying in bed like this.”

“I promise more time in bed, later tonight. Are you stalling because Virginia’s here?”

“I haven’t gotten used to her yet. I’m glad my dad found someone nice, but it’s new.”

“She likes you and she’s not bothered by us. Dinner last night wasn’t uncomfortable.”

“Which is why I’m giving her a fair shot. I really am. It’s just weird to see my dad with someone new.”

“It took me a while with Carole. I get it. But Carole’s known her a long time, and she introduced them. They’ve been dating for over a year. It was too soon to bring her here last year, so it just seems new to us even though it’s not.”

“And Finn’s changed a lot over the last few years. Lindsay’s awesome.”

“She is.”

“And it’s been nearly two years since Elliott and Sebastian gave up their ‘we’re just friends’ nonsense. I think it took that long for Sebastian, but not Elliott. Sebastian’s dad’s been married five times. It’s not like he had any role model for a stable loving relationship.”

“That’s true. And Rachel’s with Jesse. He’s a better fit for her than Finn. They enjoy living in New York and the craziness. They’re doing well in that show they’re in together. Mike, Santana, Finn, me, you, and Sam will graduate this year. Brittany loves working at that dance studio. Mercedes is on tour, but she’ll be back soon. Sam misses her so much. Elliott’s finishing the first year of his Master’s. Sebastian, Tina, and Artie have a year left still too.”

“Before you recount any more of anyone’s life story, let’s get up. The beach is calling my name.” He leaned down once more and kissed Dave. He squirmed loose and took off towards their en suite bathroom.

Dave chuckled and got up and went after him.

* * *

On their last afternoon at the beach house, they walked hand in hand down the South Carolina beach where they’d spent the last week.

“I can’t believe it, three years,” Kurt said.

“Three years, plus an amazing year of friendship before that.” He started humming as they walked along. He stepped farther away from Kurt and tugged at his hand.

Kurt laughed and spun himself into Dave and put his hand on his shoulder as they slow danced. Dave continued to hum, but the waves kept Kurt from hearing him very well.

“What are you humming?”

_ Unconditional. Unconditionally.   
I will love you, unconditionally.   
There is no fear now.   
Let go and just be free.   
I will love you, unconditionally. _

_ I’ll take your bad days with your good.   
Walk through this storm I would.   
I’d do it all because I love you.    
I love you. _

_ Acceptance is the key to be,   
To be truly free.   
Will you do the same for me? _

Dave stopped and stood still. Kurt looked into his eyes.

“Kurt, will you marry me?”

Kurt kissed him. “Yes, David. Yes!” He wrapped his arms around Dave’s neck and kissed him again.

Dave wrapped his arms around Kurt and spun him in a circle before setting him back down. He kissed him gently and said, “How about May 22nd?”

“That’s in two months.”

“It is. Our families can come into town just a little bit sooner than we had planned for our graduations.”

“Okay. I can do two months. I did my dad and Carole’s in like two weeks.”

“I didn’t get us rings since I wanted to have the ceremony so soon. I figured we could just pick out wedding bands.”

“That makes sense. Are you sure you want to get married now? A couple of years ago, when we were all talking about marriage in general, you said you wanted to wait until after you had graduated and had gotten your first job and were more financially stable.”

“I thought that’s what I wanted back then, but I love you so much and getting the scholarship to graduate school is amazing, but I don’t want to wait two more years. I’m absolutely certain, but I want you to be, too.”

“I am. I would have asked you a year or more ago, but I was waiting because of what you had said.”

Dave kissed him again. “Excellent. Well, not that you didn’t ask me sooner, but that you’re certain that this is what you want.”

“I’m certain. I love you and I want to marry you. We’re going to tell everyone when we get back up to the beach house, right?”

“Of course.”

Kurt stepped back and turned so that his back was against Dave’s chest. He pulled his phone out and turned them until he got a good angle to get a selfie of the two of them. They two of them had the goofiest smiles on their faces. Kurt laughed and they took a few more until they were just smiling instead of half laughing.

“Where do you want to get married?” Kurt asked. He stuffed his phone back in his pocket and took Dave’s hand again.

“Anywhere is fine with me. We’ll see what’s available and just pick between them. This is definitely more your area of expertise. I just want to be your husband.”

“Me too.”

* * *

A couple of weeks later, they walked past the elementary school that wasn’t that far from their flat and saw a sign that they were hosting the local animal shelter adoption day.

“Let’s go in and pet some dogs and cats,” Kurt said.

“Just pet them?”

“I love cats and dogs and I’ve never had a pet, well other than Pavarotti. My dad always put his foot down and said they were too much trouble.”

Dave followed Kurt inside. They spent time at each of the makeshift fenced-in areas petting the dogs. They went in the cat enclosure and sat down to let the cats come to them. Several cats came to check them out right away, but slowly a pair of nearly opposite cats one nearly solid white with black “boots” an blue eyes and the other was black with white “socks” and amber eyes approached. They walked around and sniffed the two of them. Within a few minutes, the black one made itself comfortable in Kurt’s lap. The white one jumped up onto Dave’s shoulder from the back and climbed down his chest. Dave reached up to keep “Boots” from slipping, which “Boots” took as a signal to snuggle in and lie in his arms.

“Well, you are the first to get the two of them to come out of the corner,” the middle-aged woman watching the cats said. “I’m Darla.”

“Kurt.”

“Dave.”

“Well, Kurt and Dave, you seem to have been chosen. We call these two Boots and Socks for obvious reasons. They were brought in together. We’ve had them for a while. They’re a bonded pair, both male not quite a year old, and we will only adopt them out together. They’ve never really taken to anyone, but you two seem to be the exceptions.”

Kurt said, “We just came inside to pet the animals up for adoption.”

“Umm hmm. Alright.” She smiled and walked away to attend to a few cats that were too close to the opening.

Kurt stroked Socks, who looked him in the eyes and started purring and rubbing his head against Kurt’s chest. Dave looked at the two of them together and at Boots, who was purring in his arms.

“Let’s get them,” Dave said.

“What? Really?”

“Yeah. Other people have cats in our building. They’re really sweet.”

“You like them too, right? You’re not just saying that.”

“Yes, I like them. I love cats and dogs, but I’ve never seen any dogs in our building. Let’s get them. We’ll keep their names. They suit them.”

“Let’s try to switch to make sure that both of them like both of us.”

They swapped and both cats snuggled back in.

* * *

The small performance area they were able to use had been simply decorated in crimson and white that morning. They had seating for 40 people. Sam, Elliott, and Sebastian along with Mercedes, Santana, and Brittany were their attendants.

When Azimio walked into the room, Mercedes was on him in a NY minute. She got up in his face and backed him into the wall. “Azimio Adams, if you are here to cause trouble, you should know that my bodyguards are here and you will be escorted out of the building the instant you put one toe out of line. I am dead serious.”

Azimio put his hands up in surrender. “I’m not here to cause trouble. I was invited, I’ll have you know. I know I did Dave wrong. If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like you to take me to him so I can man up and tell him how stupid I was.”

She turned back and summoned her bodyguards, who were dressed in black suits for the occasion and looked like guests. They followed the two of them to the room where Dave and the other guys were getting ready. She knocked and let one of her bodyguards step in with Azimio. She and the other one waited outside.

Dave turned when the door opened. “Z?”

“Yeah, it’s me. Stupid, dumbass me who lost my best friend. He motioned for Dave to follow him to the other side of the room. “Mercedes sent him to make sure I didn’t cause trouble.”

Dave snickered. “Yeah, don’t mess with her. She’s not fooling when it comes to Kurt. She’ll have you removed faster than you can blink.”

“Dude, look. I screwed up. I did two years at OSU-Lima, after a year working fast food. I decided I was done being at the bottom of the heap. I went to the main campus this past fall. I met some gay guys in one of my business classes and we got put in a group project together. I went to one of their support meetings back earlier this semester. I was wrong. I get it. Hummel didn’t do this to you. There is no ‘this’. You were born gay just like I was born straight. No one can do anything about it. I listened to stupid people tell me how things were when they didn’t know shit about anything. I know you’re not just going to forgive me, but I’m here for your wedding, man. We always said we’d be in each other’s weddings. I don’t have that right any more, but I’m here. I’ll let Mercedes’ goons take me back to sit down with the other guests.”

Dave stopped him. “Thanks, Z. I’m glad you’re here.” He nodded to Mercedes’ bodyguard and gave him a thumbs up.

* * *

Everyone was seated and the ceremony was ready to start.

The guys were in black slacks with white shirts, black vests, black ties and wore crimson boutonnières. The ladies wore black dresses with white accents in styles that suited their builds and they carried small bouquets of crimson flowers.

Sam and Mercedes entered from the sides of the front. Sam played for her as she sang “Unconditionally” at Kurt’s request. Sebastian and Elliott came up the aisle togetherand stood next to Sam, followed by Santana and Brittany who stood next to Mercedes. 

Kurt and Dave walked up the aisle together holding hands. Kurt wore a tux that Isabelle had gifted him. Dave wore a tux Kurt had borrowed from one of the voice students who sang with a philharmonic. They arrived at the front just as the music ended.

The officiant gave a small speech about love and commitment before he asked Kurt and Dave to recite their vows.

“David, both of us have been to hell and back and survived. Since we first met, you have learned to love yourself and you’ve grown in to an amazing, loving man. You’ve shown me who you really are just like you asked me to let you do over four years ago. You support me without making me feel weak. You listen when I speak and I feel heard and understood, which means so much to me. I promise to support you and to work together to accomplish our individual and mutual goals, to listen to you, and to respect and love you for the rest of my life.”

“Kurt, meeting you changed my life, saved me from the scared little boy I was. You made me want to be a man that I could be proud to be. You showed me forgiveness, friendship, acceptance, and love. You took away the darkness and filled my life with light. I promise to respect you, support your dreams, and to love you from this day until my last.”

The officiant said, “Now, the grooms will exchange rings.”

Kurt took the ring he had in his pocket out and reached for Dave’s hand and slid the ring on. “This ring is a symbol of my unending love. Let it be a reminder of the vows I’ve made to you today.”

Dave took Kurt’s hand and put the matching ring on his finger. “This ring is a symbol of my never-ending love for you. Whether you have it on or not, my love will be steadfast and true.”

They joined all four of their hands together.

“By the power vested in my by the State of New York, I declare you legally married. I present to you Kurt and David Hummel-Karofsky.”

They stepped towards each other and kissed briefly.

They faced their friends and family with huge smiles on their faces. They stepped forward together to their guests. Once they had greeted everyone, they all moved to a restaurant a couple of blocks away for a buffet dinner and reception.

At least half of the guests prepared songs to sing during the karaoke and open mic part of the reception. The grooms and attendants did an amazing a cappella rendition of “I’m Gonna Stand by You”.

* * *

The next day, Burt, Carole, Paul, Virginia, and Dave sat in the audience as Kurt walked across the stage and received his diploma.

Two days later, it was Dave on the stage getting his diploma. That evening the six of them went out for a celebration dinner. There were a lot of hugs and photos before Burt, Carole, Paul, and Virginia left to go back to Ohio.

That Saturday, they had a joint pitch-in graduation party at Kurt and Dave’s. Afterwards, they left the clean up for the next day and showered quickly. They let their fur babies out of the extra-large dog crate lined with a thick fluffy dog pillow that they preferred when large groups of people were visiting, and snuggled with them and each other on the bed.

They had been so busy with their end-of-semester schoolwork, studying, and finishing up their senior projectsin addition to the wedding planning that they opted for a stay-cation at home for a week. They planned to visit the Central Park Zoo and the New York Aquarium, amongst other places that they either hadn’t visited still or that they loved so much they wanted to visit again.

* * *

That night, Kurt lay with his head on Dave’s chest, completely relaxed. “When we first talked back during the spring of senior year in high school, you said you had wanted to be a sports agent, but it was in passing. I’m not even sure why it stuck in my mind. I guess because it’s so far from removed from what you actually studied.”

Dave ran his hand up and down Kurt’s upper arm. “I had forgotten I had mentioned that. I did want to be a sports agent, but I started looking into what I would have to do to be one the end of junior year after I realized that I was definitely gay. I found out that there are no out NFL or NHL players. Zero. I didn’t have it in me to come out then, but I knew I wanted to some day. I figured that if no professional sports players were willing to come out that there wouldn’t be many that would be interested in being represented by an openly gay man. Plus, I looked into how the whole agent thing works and it just became less appealing to me. I wanted to study something I would like enough to do it for a really long time, but that I could do consistently. Being a sports agent is like being a real estate agent. I’d only get paid when I got a client signed to a team.”

“So, you’re not disappointed you didn’t pursue that?”

“Definitely not. I love being part of the field I’m in. I can make discoveries or improvements and what I do will make people’s lives better. And the fact that I’m an openly gay man will not negatively impact my ability to do that.”

Kurt pushed up on his elbow and kissed him. “I love you. We’ve been married six days.”

“I love you too.” Dave kissed him. “I think about 60 or 70 more years should be a good goal.” He got Kurt to relax and lie back down on his chest as he sang the chorus from their wedding reception.

_ Even if we’re breaking down,    
We can find a way to break through.   
Even if we can’t find heaven,  
I’ll walk through hell with you.   
Love, you’re not alone   
‘Cause I’m  gonna stand by you. _


	11. Flashes Forward

Spring 2018 

When Kurt heard the deadbolt lock turn, he got up from where he’d been reading. As soon as Dave was in the door and it was relocked, he took Dave’s hand and led him to the sofa. “Tell me more about the job offer,” Kurt said. “I don’t want you to discount it just because it’s not here in New York.”

Dave dropped his backpack next to the sofa and sat down. “But your dream is to perform on Broadway.”

Kurt sat down next to him. “Which I’ve been doing for two years while working at _Vogue_ during the afternoons and only seeing you a few mornings and a couple of evenings per week, like now. Graduate school has taken up almost all of your time either studying or researching or working in the labs on your projects and then whenever you’re not doing those things, I’m working. We gave up our fantastic flat and moved into this shoebox close to the theater district and a subway station so that I’d get home earlier and not have to commute alone at midnight. I know we agreed to support each other and pursue our own dreams, but I just never considered how little we’d see of each other while pursuing our dreams. I miss you. I look back at al the time we used to spend with each other out in Brooklyn and I miss that. I want to know about this opportunity so I can spend my free time looking at whatever might appeal to me wherever this job is. I do love what I do, but I might love something else or I might love doing what I do somewhere else. But there’s nothing I love more that you. Please just hold me.”

“Of course.” Dave moved to the corner of the sectional and reclined a bit with his legs stretched out. He opened his arms and made room for Kurt to half lie on him with his back against the back of the sofa. He wrapped his arms around Kurt and felt him melt into his chest.

“It’s been two weeks since we’ve snuggled and longer since we’ve done anything else besides sleep in the same bed – going to bed and getting up at different times. I miss you so much it hurts.”

Dave pulled his phone out of his pocket and texted someone. He didn’t have to wait long for a response. He kissed Kurt on the forehead. “I’m going to order us a pizza. And we’re going to go take a shower.”

“Together?”

“Yes. And I’m staying home all day tomorrow. Just me and you. We’ll snuggle all day if you want. We’ll research the area and the company. We can even do all of it naked in our bed.”

“Mmm. That would definitely make paying attention to the research a challenge.”

“You like challenges.”

“I do. Order my half with chicken and spinach and let’s go shower.” Kurt slid across Dave, kissing him gently before he skittered off to the bathroom.

Summer 2018

“Wow, it’s so bright and empty,” Kurt said. “It’s bigger than I had imagined, but we’ve been living in a shoebox for two years. I like it. What about you?” He put the cats’ carrier on the counter and looked around.

Dave walked over to one of the large windows. “The view is great. And the elevator is a definite plus. I’d be fine with anything as long as we’re together. You know that. But this is nicer than I had figured it would be.”

“I like the fitness area with the pool. We won’t have to join a gym and spend time to get to it. The playground and dog park area is nice too. It’s just so weird to have all of the amenities and a bigger place for less than we’ve been paying in Midtown. I’m sure that Boots and Socks will love having more room again.” He looked into the carrier and baby talked them. “Two bedrooms and lots of windows. What do you think, boys?”

They meowed and rubbed against the carrier door.

“Not yet,” he cooed. “We have to bring the rest of our stuff up from the rental car before we’re going to let you out. You had a drink and nice little walk before we brought you up.”

“Let’s get back down there. The furniture delivery truck should be here any time. And we have to get our boxes from the main office before it closes.”

Kurt met him as he crossed the room from the windows back towards the door. He wrapped his arms around Dave’s neck and kissed him. “Seattle will be our new adventure. If we love it, we can stay past a year. If we hate it, we can head back to New York or try somewhere else.”

Dave held Kurt close and kissed him. “The job sounds exciting and you’ve already got auditions and an interview set up for next week, so we’re off to a good start.”

Early Fall 2018

Kurt slipped his phone in his pocket and wrapped his arms around Dave from behind. He kissed him on the back of the neck. “They said ‘yes’. They said ‘yes’!”

“And you’re not the least bit excited. That’s so sad,” Dave teased.

“I have to start planning. We have to take them places that will make them like it here.”

“I thought you agreed not to pressure them.”

“I did. I’m not. I just miss them so much.”

Dave turned and wrapped his arms around Kurt. “I know you do. Sebastian will finally be done with school in May.”

“He had to go and decide to do a second Master’s degree,” Kurt play pouted.

Dave chuckled. “They were both full year programs. So he has two Master’s degrees in two years. He’s going to get a great job somewhere doing what he wants to do.”

“I want him to find a great job here. I won’t pressure him. I won’t. I just want them to see how nice it is here.”

“We’ll do that. Why don’t you chop those vegetables up?”

“Sure.”

Fall 2021

Kurt knocked on the office door before he opened it, giving Dave just enough time to stand up and walk around to the front of his desk before barely 3-year-old Tommy ran across the room and launched himself into Dave’s arms. He was wearing a tiny neon lime green to navy dipped-dyed Seattle Seahawks jersey with a silver number 3 on it and a navy turtleneck underneath. Kurt had taken him shopping to buy it on the way to meet Dave. Tommy insisted that he get one with a “3” on it because he was three. Kurt obliged, even though he had no idea who Wilson was or what position he played.

“Look at you! Daddy took you shopping for a football jersey. And you picked an awesome one.”

“Three!” Tommy said excitedly pointing to the huge number on his jersey.

“It is. Three – just like you. Are you ready to go to the game?”

“Go Seahawks!”

Dave walked towards Kurt, still carrying Tommy. He leaned in and kissed him. “How about you? Are you ready?”

“As I’ll ever be. I got myself a navy fleece jacket to show my team spirit.” He winked at Dave. He pointed out the very small white embroidered Seahawks logo on the left chest of the fleece quarter-zip he was wearing.

“Very spirited. It’s perfect.” He leaned into Kurt again to kiss him. “Just let me grab my bag so I can change in the locker room of the exercise room downstairs on our way out.”

Late Spring 2023

“Thomas Daniel Hummel-Karofsky, why are you sitting in the middle of this mess in your pajamas still? I asked you to get dressed after breakfast.”

“‘Cause I’m busy and I just didn’t get dressed yet, Daddy.”

“Well, Uncle Bas, Uncle El, Celine, and Draco will be here soon.”

“I know. Celine likes these jammies, though and I’m trying to get most of the princess castle built before she gets here, so we can play with it instead of just spend the whole time putting it together. Can we please fix the closet so I can put it in without taking it apart?”

“I’m sorry, Tommy. You’re right. I did tell you that we’d fix the closet and put in shelves for your toys. Do you want me to help you put the castle back together?”

“Please? I will put my clothes on fast. I like that we have a house now, but I miss the apartment too ‘cause now we can’t go swimming all the time. But I love Luna more than swimming. When are we going to get the swing set? When are Auntie Tana and Aunt Brittany and Sofia and Siena coming? And you said once we got a house Aunt Mercedes and Uncle Sam would come stay with us.”

“Soon, honey. Tana and Britt and the girls will be here in June. That’s in about eight weeks. They’re staying for two weeks. And then two weeks later, Sam and Mercedes will be here for the Fourth of July. Papa took a few days off next week. We’ll fix your closet then, and we’ll get a swing set. And we’ll get a pool before Sofia and Siena come.”

“Yay!” He jumped up and down and then tossed his pajamas and the socks he was wearing towards his laundry hamper. Luna scampered over and grabbed one of the socks and tried to drag it out of the closet. “Luna, give that back!” Tommy snatched it from her and put it inside the hamper. “She steals my clothes, Daddy. Usually my socks.”

“Puppies do things like that. You’ll have to teach her not to, but try not to raise your voice at her. Remember that she’s just a baby. You don’t want her to be afraid of you. You want her to listen to you.”

“I’m sorry. I will talk nicer. Maybe can we give her a sock of her own?”

“That’s a good idea. I’ll find a sock we can’t find the mate to and tie a knot in the center. That way she can tell that it’s hers.”

They continued to work on putting the Lego castle together.

“I think its super cool that Celine got Draco and I got Luna are they’re brother and sister. We’re best friends and our puppies are going to be best friends too.”

Dave came looking for Kurt. “I see that you’ve joined the building crew.”

“I have. The castle was still in the box mostly taken apart from the move and he wants to play with it with Celine.”

“I’m going to take Luna out just to make sure there aren’t any accidents while they two of you are working on that.” Dave picked the small blonde Yorkie/Maltese puppy up and carried her out of the room.

An hour later everyone was sitting around the picnic table in the back yard eating.

“Uncle El?”

“Yeah?”

“What do you do at work? I asked Celine and she said you do stuff on your computer. What kind of stuff?”

“Oh, well, I work with your daddy and other theater companies to help them create digital backgrounds for the shows. You know how when we went to see the _Wizard of Oz_ , you could see pictures of different scenes at the back of the stage?”

“Mmm hmm. That was cool.”

“Well, I did that. I also make the websites for several of the theater companies. I go in and take photos of the characters in costume right when they very first start rehearsing so that I can use them for marketing.”

“What’s ‘markreting’?”

“Marketing is a way to tell people about the shows that are going to happen. So, I take the photos and I put them on the website and I write up information about when the shows will be so people can see them. The idea is to make the show look really interesting and cool so that people will want to buy tickets to go see it.”

“Oh, okay.”

“I also work with your daddy designing the costumes and making them. We do all of the really complicated costumes.”

“Daddy’s really good at making cool costumes.”

“He is,” Elliott agreed.

“What about you, Uncle Bas?”

“I help the city design buildings that don’t hurt the environment and use as much renewable energy and as many recycled or renewable resources as possible.”

“I don’t know what that means.”

“You know what recycling is.”

Tommy nodded.

“Renewable resources are things that grow back quickly, like certain kinds of trees. Renewable energy is using solar power – from the sun, like your Papa’s phone charger. Or sometimes we use water and wind power to cut down on using non-renewable energy, like oil and coal, which take a really long time to be created in nature.”

“Hmm. So, like using dandelions instead of giant tall trees? Dandelions grow really fast.”

“That’s the general idea, yes.”

“That’s cool. Papa is a mechanical engineer and he designs things to make things work together. I don’t really get it, but he says when I get a little bigger he can take me to work with him some time and show me. And Daddy is the… Creative Director of the Seattle Youth Theatre Company. I worked hard to memorize the whole name.”

Kurt said, “He picked up a book on careers at the library this past week.”

Elliott and Sebastian nodded and smiled.

Sebastian asked him, “Did you find any careers in the book that you liked?”

“I think dog trainer. I got some dog training books too so I can train Luna to do tricks and to tell us when she needs outside. Daddy and Papa have been reading them to me.”

Celine piped up and said, “I still want to be a princess, even though Tommy said I need to pick something I want to do while I’m a princess because otherwise I will get bored.”

Elliott said, “Maybe we can borrow the book from the library next and you can look at it. Tommy does have a point. I think you’ll want to have a career _and_ be a princess.”

“Okay, Daddy. Can me and Tommy go play with Luna and Draco now? I’m full.”

Elliott nodded. “As soon as Tommy is full too, you can both go play.”

* * *

Once they had gotten Tommy down to sleep, Luna in her crate, and Boots and Socks fed, Kurt and Dave went out to the backyard. Kurt covered the picnic table with a blanket and Dave put two towels rolled together to make a neck roll on top. They climbed up and lay down on their backs and looked up at the stars.

Kurt took Dave’s hand and interlaced their fingers. He gently stroked his thumb along Dave’s index finger. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“I missed this when we were in New York. We could never see the stars like this,” Dave said.

“I missed the quiet too. Being here is a great combination of regular everyday life and big city life, all while being accepted as a couple.”

“Which we’ve have been for ten years. An amazing ten years. I know we’re supposed to count from when we got married for our actual anniversary, but this will always been the day I remember. You told me that you loved me.”

“I did. And I do – so very much.”

“I love you too.” He brought Kurt’s hand up to his lips and kissed across his knuckles. He chuckled, “Only you could get up and sing a song that blamed me for you falling in love with me. It was a perfect sassy serenade. I will never forget it. That’s for sure.”

“You knew what you were getting into,” Kurt squeezed his hand.

“I did. And I’m so happy.”

“Me too."

Kurt started to sing.

_You must be my lucky star,_  
_Cause you shine on me wherever you are._  
_I just think of you and I start to glow._  
_And I need your light._  
_And baby, I know._

Dave said, “Madonna?”

“Always. Come on. Sing with me.”

Dave rolled his eyes, but smiled and joined in. He echoed Kurt on the chorus, and then sang the second verse by himself.

_Starlight, star bright, first star I see tonight,_  
_Starlight, (star bright) make everything alright._  
_Starlight, star bright, first star I see tonight,_  
_Starlight, (star bright) Ooh, yeah._

_You must be my lucky star,_  
_‘Cause you make the darkness seem so far._  
_And when I'm lost, you'll be my guide._  
_I just turn around and you're by my side._

They started to sing the chorus together again.

_Starlight, star bright, first star I see tonight,_

Kurt stopped singing abruptly and pointed to his right. “Oh, look a shooting star.”

Dave turned to look. “I already have what I wished for.”


End file.
